Family: Cookware
Non-stick coated cookware
Metal under a fluoropolymer layer: the coating keeps food from sticking and releases plastic particles into it.
Overview
What makes cookware non-stick is a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene over the metal. An experiment that put the same food simulant through heating, cooling, mixing, slicing and storage showed the difference plainly: non-plastic cookware introduced no microplastics into the food, while coated cookware — both new and old — introduced a marked amount. The particles ranged from 13 to 318 micrometres, and for daily cooking by the described method the estimate is 2,409 to 4,964 particles a year. What that means for health the work itself does not undertake to say: it calls the consequences of ingesting microplastics unclear.
Quality indicators
- State of the evidence
Release is measured; the work calls the health consequences unclear
More detail
The release of particles itself is measured by a direct experiment comparing coated and uncoated cookware. What ingesting microplastics means for health the work calls unclear outright — and the platform repeats that rather than filling the gap in.
Composition
- What the material is
Polytetrafluoroethylene — a fluoropolymer of high chemical stability
More detail
The review describes PTFE as a polymer of high chemical stability used in everything from medical devices and clothing to cables and filtration; it accounts for about 60% of the global fluoropolymer market. The platform gives no figures for coating thickness or the substrate beneath: no measured source for them was found.
Qualitative characteristics
- What changes the amount
Temperature and ageing of the coating; both new and old cookware added them
More detail
The review names temperature and ageing of the coating as circumstances affecting particle release. The experiment showed that wear is not the whole story: both new and old coated cookware produced a significant increase in microplastics.
Health-related indicators
- Plastic particles in the food
Adds them: particles 13-318 µm, an estimated 2,409-4,964 a year with daily cooking
More detail
In the experiment a food simulant went through heating, cooling, mixing, slicing and storage. Both new and old coated cookware significantly increased microplastic content; the particles were polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene and polypropylene, ranging from 13 to 318 micrometres. A 2025 review across many works speaks of thousands to millions of particles per single use.
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REVIEWSystematic review1
STUDYPeer-reviewed1
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