[genericone]

Do you have any recommendations on where we could read more about the hidden history of PFOAs and teflon? These days all the nonstick pans say PFOA-free, but if they were never present in the actual pan, is it just a marketing gimmick? Like putting gluten-free on old foods that never contained gluten, or bpa-free on things that historically didn't use bpa?

[hammock]

It is a marketing gimmick, but your description of the marketing gimmick is wrong. They say PFOA-free because they use PFOS or another analogue in their manufacturing. They are no more safe.

[ballenf]

Just like with BPA free plastics that often have even higher levels of BPS, BPF, etc. or related compounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuMGc0EswTc (exploration of literature and the plastic industry's move away from BPA -- as always with Nutrition Facts, Dr. Gregor is totally calm and uses no scare tactics)

[hammock]

Thank you for that addition. I was stuck on the gluten-free thing and you are right about the BPA-free thing - another area where manufacturers just switched to a different, bad chemical.

[zmk_]

What they mean when saying PFOA-free is that it wasn't used in the manufacturing of the product. For instance if you look at pans sold at Ikea they will explicitly say in the materials section: "No PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) has been used to make non-stick coating on this product."