PTFE Material Safety

This hobby is fun & enjoyable, but it is not tiddlywinks. Be safe!

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artooks
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PTFE Material Safety

Post by artooks »

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading the forum about why PTFE is allowed instead of all other materials, and I understand why it is but I was also reading about the issues where teflon is creating a worldwide problem that they introduce Carcinogen while the pans that are used experience high heat around 480 Fahrenheit, they expose toxic gases where PFOA is what to blame for from what I understand, so because we are I mean during distilling can see max 212 Fahrenheit, we are on the safe side I am not asking a question just need a confirmation If I get this correct.

Thanks.
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still_stirrin
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by still_stirrin »

Got reference documents?
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artooks
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by artooks »

Sorry SS what did you mean ? I did not understand. What kind of documents are you talking about ?
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still_stirrin
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by still_stirrin »

artooks wrote:Sorry SS what did you mean ? I did not understand. What kind of documents are you talking about ?
artooks wrote:...I was also reading about the issues where teflon is creating a worldwide problem that they introduce Carcinogen while the pans that are used experience high heat around 480 Fahrenheit, they expose toxic gases where PFOA is what to blame...
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
Pikey
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by Pikey »

The ones you say you've been reading - perhaps .
artooks
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by artooks »

The one you mentioned that is concerning the teflon coated pans mainly they have done some tests with animals especially birds that died after exposing to the fumes of teflon but from what I have read it is said that it only starts to happen when the heat of the pan reaches to 480 Fahrenheit, so I was wondering since we are not reaching those temperature in distilling we are on the safe side.
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by Pikey »

Birds are easier poisoned by gas than other animals because of the way they extrat oxygen from the air.

But if you want discussion, you should provide links to your information.
artooks
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by artooks »

Sure one of them is this one: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/86095/ ... se-cancer/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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still_stirrin
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by still_stirrin »

artooks wrote:Sure one of them is this one: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/86095/ ... se-cancer/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
The concern regarding Teflon and cancer risk is around the fumes released when Teflon is used for cooking. According to the Australian Government’s National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS), fumes are only released from Teflon-coated cookware when it is heated to extremely high temperatures (340°C-650°C); temperatures so high they would incinerate your food. There is no evidence that fumes are released from cookware at or below normal cooking temperatures. It is however advisable not to overheat an empty non-stick pan or to leave it unattended on the stove, particularly at a high setting.
There...using Teflon should be safe in our utility. No worries.

However, if you do research on PFOA's and PFOS's which are used in industry, you'll see that those are accumulated in animals and that those when accumulated to a high enough degree (in the blood and kidney systems) can contribute to various forms of cancers. PFOA is used as an emusion surfactant when making Teflon, so it is involved in our hobby, although in a pre-process. I don't believe that appreciable increase in accumulated PFOA results from our Teflon seals. Again, no worries here.
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by Pikey »

I wouldn't worry too much about it - but here's one you might like to consider :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_cancer
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der wo
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by der wo »

Pikey wrote:I wouldn't worry too much about it - but here's one you might like to consider :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_cancer
PTFE is the safest plastic we have.
Ethanol is the safest alcohol we have.
In this way, imperialism brings catastrophe as a mode of existence back from the periphery of capitalist development to its point of departure. - Rosa Luxemburg
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by RedwoodHillBilly »

der wo wrote: PTFE is the safest plastic we have.
Ethanol is the safest alcohol we have.
Agreed, but "safety" is a relative term. I wouldn't call ethanol "safe", but life is full of risks. :D
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bluefish_dist
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Re: PTFE Material Safety

Post by bluefish_dist »

If you want a real scare read about polyflume fever. It's no joke. With that said, ptfe is pretty inert at 200f. It's also a lab mistake. They made it on accident and nothing would dissolve it. Pfoa's were an issue 8-10 years ago, but have been removed from the process as much as possible.
Used to do Teflon coatings and went through the pfoa removal in our coatings. Also knew people who got polyflume fever. One really lousy 24 hrs.
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