Nonstick Pans and PFAS: What the FDA and Germany’s BfR Say

Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Nonstick pans are coated with a polymer that belongs to a large chemical family called PFAS, which has made many home cooks ask whether the pan in the kitchen is a problem. Two regulators that have looked at the question directly, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), give broadly matching answers: coatings in normal use are not expected to harm health, the main practical rule is not to overheat an empty pan, and the wider debate about PFAS is about the environment and future regulation as much as about the frying pan.

What PFAS and PTFE mean

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The FDA describes them as a very broad group of chemicals that act differently under different uses, and that are found in a wide variety of products, from stain-resistant clothing to firefighting foam, as well as in some food-contact applications.

The coating on most nonstick pans is PTFE, short for polytetrafluoroethylene. The BfR explains that PTFE is a synthetic polymer made of many linked tetrafluoroethylene units and that it belongs to the PFAS group. It says the defining feature of a PTFE-coated pan is a slightly waxy surface that repels water and fat so food does not stick. PTFE is the substance most commonly used for these coatings, although the BfR notes that similar polymers such as ETFE, PFA and FEP can be used instead. In other words, a pan sold as “nonstick” is very likely to be a PFAS product, whatever the brand.

What the FDA says about food contact

In its question-and-answer page on PFAS in food, the FDA asks why it allows PFAS on food-contact surfaces such as nonstick pans. Its answer is that some PFAS are approved for the manufacture of nonstick cookware coatings. These coatings are made of polymerized molecules, which means the molecules are joined into large ones, and they are applied through a heating process that tightly binds the polymer to the cookware. The FDA says studies show that this coating contains a negligible amount of PFAS capable of migrating to food.

The FDA distinguishes this from other uses. PFAS used as grease-proofing agents on paper and paperboard packaging could migrate to food, it says, and following a safety review those products were phased out of the US market; in February 2024 the agency announced that all grease-proofing agents containing PFAS were no longer being sold in the US.

What the BfR says about use at home

The BfR’s answers focus on how a pan is used. Its main points are:

• Normal use is not expected to cause harm. When nonstick cookware is used as intended, the BfR says health impairments are not expected. It adds that it is not aware of any data indicating that commercially available PTFE-coated cookware transfers fluorinated chemicals to food in amounts that could impair human health when used properly, meaning without overheating.
• Do not heat an empty pan. PTFE can decompose at around 360°C (680°F) and above, releasing gases that can be hazardous. The BfR says PTFE-coated cookware should never be heated when unfilled and that particular care is needed with induction and gas stoves, because they allow very fast heating.
• Food in the pan is a safeguard. The BfR says overheating is very unlikely when the pan is filled with food, because while water or watery food is present the temperature cannot rise far above 100°C. Oil begins to evaporate between 110 and 270°C depending on the type, and the smoke or smell of burning warns the cook that the pan is too hot.
• Ovens are fine. In a conventional oven the maximum temperature is around 250°C, far below the level at which coating substances might be released, according to the BfR. It advises against using PTFE-coated utensils over burning flames such as gas or charcoal grills, where temperatures can reach 360°C or more.
• Wash before first use. The BfR says most PTFE-coated articles should be cleaned thoroughly before first use and recommends following the manufacturer’s instructions for treatment.
• Scratches. The BfR says particles from a scratched coating that are accidentally swallowed are not expected to harm health, because PTFE is inert and is excreted unchanged.

Why the topic keeps coming up

The BfR notes that fluorinated chemicals are used to make PTFE, including some other PFAS that serve as emulsifiers and processing aids. During manufacture the cookware is sintered, which means heated so the coating bakes together and solidifies, and this removes most of the leftover substances or binds them tightly into the coating. It also says some PFAS are associated with various health effects, and that during use, especially at higher temperatures, a PTFE pan may release very small amounts of leftover substances; the BfR concludes these amounts are so small that harm is not expected when the pan is used as intended.

The regulatory picture is also changing. The BfR points out that in 2023 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published a proposal to ban the manufacture, use and distribution of the broad PFAS group in the EU, which could in future affect PTFE coatings on household and restaurant cookware. That is a proposal about reducing PFAS in the environment overall, and it is separate from the finding that a pan used as intended is not expected to harm the people using it. The FDA, for its part, says exposure from food is an emerging area of science and that much remains unknown about which foods are more likely to contain PFAS.

“PFAS-free” and “PFOA-free” labels

Neither the FDA nor the BfR pages reviewed here tests individual pan brands, so there is no regulator ranking of products. A few points follow from what they do say. PTFE is a PFAS, so a pan that is nonstick because of a PTFE coating is not PFAS-free. The BfR lists other fluoropolymers, such as ETFE, PFA and FEP, as alternative coating materials, and these belong to the same broad family. If a pan is marketed as PFAS-free, read what the maker says the coating is made of and look for the maker’s specification rather than relying on the headline label.

Practical steps drawn from the guidance

• Do not preheat an empty nonstick pan, especially on induction or gas, where heat builds quickly.
• Keep the pan on the hob or in a conventional oven, not over open flames on a grill.
• Wash a new pan before first use and follow the maker’s instructions.
• Watch for smoking oil or a burning smell, which the BfR says are signs the pan is too hot.
• Check the maker’s guidance for the highest temperature the coating is rated for.

Cooking technique matters as much as the pan. Our notes on cooking chicken breast baked, pan-fried and poached and the seared tuna steak timing guide show the kind of moderate-heat pan work where an unfilled, overheated pan is easy to avoid.

This article is general information about published guidance and is not medical advice. Anyone with health concerns about chemical exposure should speak to a doctor.

Sources

• US Food and Drug Administration, “Questions and Answers on PFAS in Food” (content current as of 18 June 2026)
• German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), “Selected questions and answers on cookware, ovenware and frying pans with a non-stick coating made of PTFE” (7 February 2025)

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