Transcript: Teflon

Food Science
Episode “Teflon”

Dr. Kiki Sanford: Hi I am Dr. Kiki Sanford and today it on Food Science we are going to slip through the science of Teflon. Polytetrafluoroethylene it is the slipperiest stuff made by man, but perhaps you know it better as Teflon. Although it has been a familiar feature on nonstick cookware since the 1960s Teflon has also made an enormous impact in the industrial world. It can be found everywhere from electronics to aeronautics to clothes. You might even have a pair of pants with Teflon embedded in the fabric. I do, but do not tell only one. It is a secret.
It was invented serendipitously in 1938 by a young chemist named Roy Plunkett; he was trying to create a CFC Gas refrigerant for DuPont De Moore’s and company, now known as DuPont. However instead of a gas he ended up with a slippery polymer powder. Mr. Plunkett patented the powder as polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. The substance found its first use in the gaskets and seals in the development of the atomic bomb.
PTFE is a long chain carbon polymer surrounded by fluoride atom’s, the fluoride atoms fully enclosed a carbon chain so that it cannot react to other molecules, making PTFE one of the most inert substances in the world. It was not until 1944 that DuPont actually trademarked the name Teflon which has since become a household name for nonstick.
By now you’re probably pretty sick of this history lesson and just wondering how the heck this slippery stuff manages to stick to anything let alone your frying pans. Well it is actually pretty simple. The pans have to be dipped in hydrochloric acid too rough up and etch the surface of the pan so that PTFE will stick to it, then they applied some sort of a sticky substance that it hears the PTFE to the surface. It is some sort of sticky substance but they will not tell us what it is, it is an industrial secret. They would have to kill us if we told you, but I am good at keeping a secret.
But finally spray the PTFE on and the whole thing gets cooked in 425° C to melt and gel the PTFE onto the pan surface. The question most people have today is whether Teflon is safe, like I said before PTFE is an inert and non toxic chemical and it does start to break down at temperatures over 160° C, which can lead to the release of potentially toxic chemical byproducts. Those fumes are poisonous to birds and can cause potential flulike symptoms in people. So as long as you’re cooking foods at reasonable temperatures you should be fine.
But what about cancer, you may have heard that Teflon causes cancer. It is not Teflon itself but a compound called PFOA that is used in the making of Teflon that might be carcinogenic. DuPont is currently looking for substitute for PFOA but they say that Teflon cannot be made without it. Scientific studies have shown that you’re more likely to run into PFOA in your carpet than you are a nonstick frying pan.
Mainly the health concerns around Teflon center around its production and not around its use, so I’m going to keep using my pans there is no scientific reason not to. But remember it is not just food, it is science.