The best PTFE products

PTFE, a chemical found in

Teflon, is frequently promoted as an alternative to the hazardous PFAS. But is it truly so?

Other PFAS variants are marketed as safe and rarely undergo scrutiny, fact that regulators and a growing public awareness have cracked down on some of the more well-known chemicals. PTFE, a chemical in the PFAS family that is not regulated and is used in a lot of consumer goods to give materials the desired non-stick function, is one such chemical.

Is PTFE actually as safe as its manufacturers claim?

You have probably come into contact with the chemical PTFE when you drive your car, hurl yourself down a ski slope, or cook your food. You can track down it in such different items as non-stick cookware, ski wax, vehicle insides and dental floss.

Teflon is one of the most well-known applications, but that’s just one of many. The chemical PTFE is used in a wide variety of products due to its distinctive properties. It is extremely water repellent and has excellent heat resistance and electrical insulation properties. It is ideal for coating baking trays and other kitchen utensils due to its non-stick properties. It can also be found in textile membranes and outdoor jackets.

Sadly, you can’t just think about the finished product—the frying pan in your hand—because “there are no regulations in place that require chemical producers to disclose PTFE production.” You have to look beyond this “use phase,” which occurred before the product was coated with PTFE. The problem is that a chemical goes through two more such phases: the waste and production phases. PTFE doesn’t look so good there, buddy, when these additional phases and the available science are incorporated into the analysis.

We should begin with creation.

We don’t know where PTFE and other fluorinated polymers are made because there are no laws that require chemical manufacturers to disclose this information. As a result, very little is known about where PTFE and other fluorinated polymers are made around the world.

The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register requires chemical manufacturers to report a variety of pollutants’ emissions into the air, water, and land within the EU. However, it is not necessary for producers of fluorinated polymers to specify that they produce these particular products. Since PFAS serves as a production aid in the production of fluorinated polymers, you can use the amount of PFAS in the air to identify production sites for the polymer. To put it another way, the production of fluorinated polymers may contribute to the emission of PFAS.

A recent EEA report states that several harmful substances have been found in river water or wastewater downstream of plants that are known to produce fluorinated polymers.

Over time, production sites in China and the United States have been documented to emit PFOA, PFNA, and other by-products. It has been demonstrated that the emissions result in widespread food, water, air, and soil contamination.

One illustration comes from a Chemours-owned manufacturing facility in the Netherlands. Within three kilometers northeast of the plant, PFOA was found in grass and leaves, with concentrations decreasing with distance. Vegetables grown within a one-kilometer radius of the plant were not to be consumed.

Burning PTFE produces PFAS

Okay, so now we know that using PFAS to produce PTFE is a huge problem.

“In order to produce PTFE you need to use PFAS”

To understand the problems with the waste phase, we need to stop by the chemistry class briefly. A molecular structure known as a polymer, or fluoropolymer in the case of PTFE, is made up of several thousands of carbon atoms that are chained together in the finished product.

PTFE is distinct from other chemicals in the PFAS family because it is a polymer. PFOA, for example, is one of many well-known PFAS that only has seven to fourteen carbon atoms, and others have even fewer than seven. The majority of other PFAS are short-chained, unlike PTFE.

Now, with a microscope, everyone can see that these short-chained, non-polymeric PFAS are very bad; however, there aren’t as many studies on polymers like PTFE because nobody really asked for that.

The problem with PTFE is that the long molecular chain breaks down into, you guessed it, a short chain when it gets really hot. And when does PTFE reach its boiling point? One example is when you fry something in your frying pan, but throwing the pan away for good is even better. Even though some would like you to believe that we are recycling our waste rather than burning it, it is then burned in the same manner as the vast majority of other types of garbage.

All evidence indicates that when PTFE is burned, PFAS are produced. Where exactly do these substances end up? They are definitely not collected and treated at the incineration plant.

As a result, PTFE-released PFAS have been found in industrial and household wastewater treatment plants in urban areas. PFAS are not removed from water or sludge because traditional wastewater treatment processes are not designed to degrade persistent chemicals.

Wastewater sludge from treatment plants is frequently dumped in landfills or used in agricultural fields. The harmful substances end up in the soil in either case. There are currently no EU standards for organic soil contaminants, so there are no PFAS limit values or legal requirements to monitor for them in wastewater sludge.

“There are several alternatives that perform equally well.” In both Europe and the United States, treatment plants have been responsible for numerous instances of widespread pollution. In the United States, cases have been settled out of court, and businesses have been fined for contaminating livestock and communities nearby.

Is PTFE going to be banned soon?

Given all of the evidence that PTFE might not be so great after all, regulators must surely be making up something, no pun intended.

Yes, actually. Five EU members—Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway—are working on a restriction that would prohibit the use of all PFAS—roughly 5,000 substances—with the exception of “essential uses.” Fluoropolymers like PTFE are included in this restriction’s definition of PFAS. A restriction of this magnitude has the potential to significantly reduce human and environmental exposure to PFAS.

Be that as it may, a long time before the limitation happen, many organizations have proactively begun creating some distance from the utilization of PTFE.

There are numerous alternatives that perform similarly for some applications, such as PTFE-coated frying pans and the membranes in outdoor jackets made of PTFE, like Teflon. Numerous alternatives have been identified in cosmetics, another industry where PTFE (and other PFAS) are widely used.

There are still no alternatives available for other industrial and “professional” uses, such as coatings and pipes. Additionally, there is no one-size-fits-all replacement because PTFE is a versatile material that can be used in a wide variety of products. To replace the use of PTFE, a large number of diverse alternatives with diverse chemistry and properties are required.

At ChemSec, we anticipate significant industry shifts in the coming years. The impending restriction, the strong pressure exerted by numerous brands to eliminate PFAS and PTFE, and the expanding availability of safer alternatives are definitely positive. However, in the interim, and prior to that, be wary of claims that PTFE in a particular product is safe.