Err sorry but to quote Wikipedia:

    Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon

Remember Teflon coated pans? And how you are supposed to throw them out if they're scratched?

I see that quote, and it's Wikipedia being overly technical. PTFE is not in the same category as the other PFAS.

PTFE is missing the reactive tail that makes the other ones so problematic. It's in the same chemical family, yes, but is very different in its properties.

> Remember Teflon coated pans?

I have plenty of them.

> And how you are supposed to throw them out if they're scratched?

That's not true now, and has never been true. (Other than perhaps the scratches making your food stick.)

Yeah, teflon is inert. You only need to throw them away once you've burned the teflon, turning it toxic. Which happens at quite a low temperature. Btw the fumes that come off a burned teflon pan are incredibly toxic and will kill pet birds.

Remarkably safe (for display purposes).

You would have to heat the teflon so hot that oil in the pan would burst into flame.

If you cook in such temperatures you must like eating charcoal.

I'm regularly heating pans to 650f and above for searing steaks, verified with a infrared thermometer. Also necessary for good stir fry.

You start with such high temps because unless cooking with an extremely high btu heat source, the temp of that pan drops dramatically once food is added. This is also why you don't add oil until right before placing your food item in. Otherwise, yes, even high temp oils would ignite before reaching 650f.

PTFE is made using using a process that uses PFOA or another, similar fluorosurfactant. There are likely trace amounts of these fluorosurfactants left behind in the PTFE, which might be enough to cause issues.

Not anymore, the current process does not use PFOA anymore. I think maybe 10 or 20 years now.

Right, it uses other, similar flourosurfactants.