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Celebrities square off on…PFAS?? SAY LESS, Sway is in on the scene. 

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Our round-up of PFAS-free cookware

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How to source PFAS-free products

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For pregnant people: A guide to navigating PFAS
(scroll down, or scrub through our webinar)

Did I have a celeb showdown about PFAS on my bingo card for 2025? No ma’am. But I am seated, and I have a very strong perspective on this one. (Pulls up chair) 

ICYMI:

Three celebrity chefs, among others, teamed up to defend PTFE, which belongs to the PFAS category of chemicals. Rachael Ray, Marcus Samuelsson, and David Chang penned letters in response to California Senate Bill (SB) 682, which would phase out these chemicals of concern from a variety of consumer products, including non-stick cookware. 

All three of the chefs either have their own cookware line that contains PTFE or endorse a brand that does. In their letters, they state that phasing out PTFE would hinder chefs and home cooks alike. But the real story (IMO) is that their businesses would clearly be affected by a PFAS phase-out. It’s giving profits over human and environmental health. Meyer is the manufacturer behind both David Chang and Rachael Ray’s cookware lines, and they include the same disclaimer on their websites stating that their products contain PTFE. Marcus Samuelsson’s ties to non-stick products are a little murkier. The strongest connection I see is that he’s an ambassador for All-Clad, which also discloses that it uses PTFE in its non-stick cookware. 

Mark Ruffalo has thoughts. He’s the PFAS-advocacy king of Hollywood after starring in Dark Waters, the film about a DuPont plant in WV that contaminated local water with devastating consequences for locals. At the end of August, he addressed Rachael Ray directly in a classy letter, stating, “Getting toxic chemicals like PFAS out of our cookware is just as important as choosing the right recipe.” 😉

Recap on PFAS: 

Let’s run it back. Found in home furnishings, cookware (ahem), clothing, cosmetics, car seats and many other product categories due to their non-stick and waterproofing properties, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they do not fully degrade from living tissue or the environment, and are associated with health issues like thyroid disease, asthma and certain cancers. Due to a long history of manufacturing, they also show up across our environment, in rainwater, drinking water and soil. In other words: they're found in pretty much everything. One CDC report found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans. 

OK, but what about PTFE specifically?

PTFE, the fluoropolymer the chefs refer to, raises significant production and disposal concerns from an environmental standpoint, and overheating PTFE-coated pans can release harmful fumes. 

Here’s why the celeb advocacy against SB 682 really grinds my gears:

Thank you for asking. It’s because…

Many manufacturers make non-stick pans without PTFE. We’ve featured an array of PFAS-free cookware lines on Sway throughout the years that use innovative non-stick coatings or alternative materials like cast iron and stainless steel. This isn’t a secret or some Sway scoop.

It’s short-sighted. The process of phasing out harmful chemicals from manufacturing typically leads to innovation at scale (aka safer, more affordable and widely available products). Nobody’s bemoaning the absence of lead in paint anymore, you know? The heartburn from big business when changes like this occur is short-lived and the immediate and long-term benefits to consumers and our environment far outweigh it. 

It’s already happening across the country. Minnesota already implemented its phaseout of PFAS in cookware, and Maine, Colorado, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont will follow suit.

Phasing out PFAS feels like something we should all be able to get behind for the health of ourselves, our families and our communities, and the state of our environment. Choosing PFAS-free products isn’t just a personal health choice. It’s a vote, with your dollar, for safer manufacturing and a cleaner planet. So, scroll on for cookware recs and a trip down memory lane, because Sway has covered PFAS for what feels like an eon!

If cooking on a non-stick surface is your jam, here are some rules of thumb for avoiding PFAS specifically:

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🍳 Caraway, Sauté Pan: This is MY go-to for non-stick. It’s pricy but my cost per use has to be pennies at this point. And as I recently reminded a friend who didn’t read the instructions (always read the instructions when you buy nice kitchen appliances/cookware!), so long as you don’t heat it past medium, it’ll stay good as new, in my experience.

🍳 Our Place, Always Pan 2.0: See the full “test kitchen” review in our Tale of Two Pans issue from last year. One drawback to this pan is that Our Place, unlike Caraway, doesn’t disclose third-party test results for materials. It’s a very popular PFAS-free pan, though, and made the Green Science Policy Institute’s PFAS-free list.

🍳 Lodge, Cast Iron Skillet: I LOVE to cook on this. I don’t love cleaning it. But plenty of people have much more patience than me and use this as their daily rider. Stainless steel is also a great option if you’re not into non-stick.

Not to brag 💅 but we had an expert line-up weigh in on PFAS back in 2023. Below, you’ll find helpful takeaways with attribution.

How to source PFAS-free products:
“The only way to know with certainty whether a product is PFAS-free is to test it in a laboratory. However, since that’s not practical for most people, a good rule of thumb is to avoid products advertised as waterproof or stain-resistant. Consumers can also email or call manufacturers directly to ask if their products contain PFAS. You should be wary of answers like ‘our products meet all safety requirements’ or ‘our products are PFOA- or C8-free,’ which do not provide sufficient information. Finally, our Institute maintains a growing list of PFAS-free products.”

👉 This comes from Rebecca Fuoco, MPH, Director of Science Communications at the Green Science Policy Institute. Her writing on PFAS has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and The Hill, among others. 

What pregnant people need to know about PFAS exposure:
First, you likely only need to be concerned about PFAS if you live in a hot spot, or a place where there is high PFAS contamination. Often, this is near factories that make or use PFAS, or military sites and airports. If that's the case, you can measure your levels with Eurofins' blood testing service to determine if you need to take action with your doctor. 

More generally, Carol's (see her bio below) best recommendation to support a healthy pregnancy is to avoid PFAS where you can, steering clear of stain- and water-proofing products, and switching to PFAS-free personal care products using resources like the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database. And above all, she advises pregnant people to be realistic about the points of exposure you can control, and avoid stressing, because that’s not good for you or baby. 

👉 We distilled this info from our webinar with Carol Kwiatkowski, Ph.D., VP of Research at Million Marker, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at NC State, and former Science and Policy Senior Associate at the Green Science Policy Institute. 

I can’t promise the next newsletter will have this much passion. Oh, who am I kidding, of course it will!

Bye for now,
Jennifer @ Sway