Can non-stick cookware make you allergic? Yes, according to the scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in West Virginia, a constituent in Teflon non-stick coatings can make a person prone to contracting allergies.
It has been established by researchers that the chemical Perfluorooctanoic acid increases the incidence of allergic reactions.
The scientists studied the immune responses upon mice and found an increased allergen production than usual on account of this acid. This acid has been found to aggravate thyroid problems, aberrations in the immune system as well as liver, pancreatic and testicular cancer in laboratory animals. Though, its concentration in human blood is low enough, implications are averred as even newborns are exposed to Teflon usage. This may hint to a causative factor behind rising incidence of asthma among children. This acid is virtually omnipresent, though in miniscule amount.
But Dr. Robert Rickard from DuPont, a US chemicals firm has clarified perfluoro-octanoic acid to have no adverse impact on humans. It is only when Teflon is subjected to an exceptionally high temperatures that Teflon can break down to release perfluoro-octanoic acids.
It was an accident discovery in 1938 that DuPont chemist Roy Plunkett stumbled upon heat-resistant Teflon. For use in cookware, the US food and drug administration gave its approval in 1960.