• SW42@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        Teflon is just the brand name. I believe it’s called Polytetrafluorethylene, thus ending in ne :)

      • Tja@programming.dev
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        6 hours ago

        Teflon itself is quite good, getting it to stick to places is the problem.

        • Shareni@programming.dev
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          6 hours ago

          Quite good, if you avoid the fact it’s literally everywhere including the atmosphere, doesn’t break down, and causes cancer. But who cares about such little things like cancer causing rain…

          • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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            1 hour ago

            Teflon itself is inert, but it’s also not needed to avoid that food sticks in a pan. In a good prepared Steel pan food sticks less than in a Teflon pan and is way more resistant to damages. The food sticks in the pan, if you don’t wait to add the food until it’s heated enough, not for other reasons, mistake often don by normal users. Professional cooks never use Teflon pans.

            Preparing a Steel pan non-stick

            • Clean the pan after buy it
            • Heat the pan on the kitchen
            • Add some oil and heat somewhat more until it smoke
            • After this, wait until i’s cold enough and distribute and eliminate the oil film over the whole surface with an kitchen paper.
            • Done

            After this, to fry something, add a little oil and wait until the oil has enough heat (test with the handle of a wood spoon, if it forms little bubbles on it in the oil, the temperature is OK), to add the food. It will never stick this way.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXEt-fhyCis

          • Mr Fish@lemmy.world
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            6 hours ago

            Again, that’s from getting it to stick to things. The smaller PTFE chemicals that make it possible to suspend Teflon in water are the problem.

            • Rooskie91@discuss.online
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              4 hours ago

              Teflon is the brand name for for the chemical Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Making PTFE requires PFAS, which are the toxic part. Think of PFAS as little bits of chain varying lengths that get strung together to make the larger PTFE molecule.

              The argument you’re making sounds similar to something like “Fossil Fuels are safe, it’s just the CO2 that’s dangerous.” PFAS contaminated water being released to the environment is an unavoidable by produce of making Teflon. You can only make Teflon as a solid without suspending the PFAS in water first.

              Here’s a pretty good video about the history, manufacturing process, and toxicity.

              https://youtu.be/SC2eSujzrUY

              • Rednax@lemmy.world
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                2 hours ago

                There is one important note: you won’t get cancer from the Teflon in your pans. You get it from the PFAS used to produce the pans. This means you don’t have to throw out all your pans, as if they were made from lead and asbestos. Just make sure not to buy new ones with Teflon.

              • ExFed@programming.dev
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                3 hours ago

                The argument you’re making sounds similar to something like “Fossil Fuels are safe, it’s just the CO2 that’s dangerous.”

                I didn’t read it that way at all. Their argument sounds more like “there’s nuance that you’re glossing over.”

                It seems that we all agree PFAS are generally nasty chemicals, some worse than others. Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) is just one of the “nicer” ones.

                • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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                  2 hours ago

                  You can’t make teflon without the PFAS though. It’s like saying AIDS is completely different than HIV

                  • 9bananas@feddit.org
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                    2 hours ago

                    no it’s more like saying “desalinated water is fine, it’s the brine that’s problematic.”

                    which is true.

                    and the same goes for teflon:

                    the PFAS are toxic, not teflon itself.

                    glossing over that distinction is disingenuous…

                    yes, you can’t make one without the other, true, but the end product is not toxic. that’s an important difference you can’t just ignore in order to say teflon is toxic, because a requisite material in (cheap) production is toxic.

                    because that’s like saying desalinated water is toxic, just because brine is toxic…which is obviously ridiculous.

        • ryedaft@sh.itjust.works
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          6 hours ago

          In Denmark there was until very recently a factory doing something with teflon. That shit got launched out the chimney and just rained down everywhere.