Belgian cookware manufacturer Beka has come out with a handsome line of products called Beka Eco-Logic which replaces the traditional Teflon anti-stick coatings containing PTFE chemicals with a ceramic coating which they call Bekadur Ceramica.
Like many of the more recent PTFE-free offerings, such as Green Pan, these pans are covered with a durable nano-coating in ceramic. These ceramic coatings are water-based and can resist much higher temperatures than traditional coatings. Debate over the potential health risks of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) – best known by the DuPont brand name Teflon – has raged for years, so at first glance this seems like a no-brainer for any green-minded kitchen.
According to the most conservative scenario, PTFE starts to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware reaches about 260 °C (500 °F), and decomposes above 350 °C (660 °F). This can cause flu-like symptoms in humans.
But the debate on potential health risks of nano-technologies is only just beginning.
The main issue, as stated by ETC in “A Tiny Primer on Nano-Scale Technologies” is “Governments, industry and scientific institutions have allowed nanotech products to come to market in the absence of public debate and regulatory oversight.”
There are very few toxicological studies on engineered nanoparticles “but it appears that nanoparticles as a class are more toxic than larger versions of the same compound because of their mobility and increased reactivity.” This is important because nanoparticles can move easily into the body and slip past the body’s immune system. At 70 nanometres, nanoparticles can burrow deep into lung tissue; a 50 nm particle can slip into cells. Particles as small as 30 nm can cross the blood-brain barrier.
The bottom line is: we just don’t know. And how reassuring is that?
I’ve just bought an Aubecq Evergreen frying pan, so I’ll let you know if I develop any life-threatening health problems
To be honest, non-nonstick has to be the most ‘green’ way to go but it is harder to cook with. And if you burn the food, just imagine all those acrylamides (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7124501.stm)
Maybe we should just stop cooking entirely. Nice blog by the way!
Thanks for your comments and thanks for reading!
What about titanium? Here in Australia, most good quality pans now use titanium which, they say, penetrates the pan and is not just a coating…. I don’t know who to believe…. but I do like plain cast iron for some cooking and plain, solid stainless steel for the rest.
I tend to agree with you, Kate. Nothing beats cast iron. I’ve even started baking bread in the Le Creuset and it works wonderfully!
Thank you for the information. We are currently regarding this issue and your article contributes to the debate. Anything on these nano particules in ceramic?
[...] l’indique le blog de la Vie Verte: (traduction) Il y a encore peu d’études toxicologiques sur les nanoparticules crées par [...]
[...] new cookware boasts a ceramic “nano-coating” as a safer non-stick surface, but there has been little evidence of safety of these [...]
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