Exciting reading

[DrTorque]

A leaching test performed with PTFE in water:
http://www.fast-houston.com/Literature/ ... 0Paper.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Interesting stuff on PTFE:
http://www.taconic-add.com/pdf/technica ... f_ptfe.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I'm having great difficulty finding any leaching experiments with PTFE and ethanol. By all accounts, even if it were to leach, it sure looks like PTFE is completely safe everywhere in the human body, as long as the PTFE isn't heated to over 200+ deg C. BTW - I've found some interesting stuff in this search. Did everyone else know that birds are super-sensitive to the fumes from PTFE non-stick coatings on overheated cookware, and that they're just dropping dead all over the place?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm saying it's OK to use virgin PTFE with ethanol, even at the temperatures found in distilling. Some other fluoropolymers may be OK, but we're not likely to see them in gaskets, sealing tape, etc. From everything I've been able to find, other polymers are NOT OK to use with ethanol, and I would avoid them at all costs - but I wouldn't fly into a panic if you absentmindedly stir your martini with a plastic spoon, or find one of those plastic swords skewering your olives at the bottom of the glass.

And - I think it's funny that "homedistiller" keeps popping up in the search results...

I'll keep looking.