PFAS
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. A class of ~14,000+ synthetic chemicals known as "forever chemicals" for their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. Includes PFOA, PFOS, PTFE, GenX, PFBS.
PFOA
Perfluorooctanoic acid. The specific PFAS at the center of the C8 Health Project. Voluntarily phased out by US manufacturers under EPA's PFOA Stewardship Program 2006-2015. Listed under California Prop 65 for both reproductive toxicity (2017) and cancer (2022).
PFOS
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid. Restricted under the EU POPs regulation since 2009. Listed under California Prop 65 for cancer (2021).
PTFE
Polytetrafluoroethylene. The polymer behind every Teflon-style non-stick coating. PTFE is itself a PFAS under California's regulatory definition. Begins releasing fluorinated gases above 500°F and undergoes pyrolysis above 660°F.
GenX (HFPO-DA)
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid. DuPont/Chemours' replacement for PFOA, authorized under TSCA consent order 2009. EPA's 2021 toxicity assessment determined GenX is roughly 6.7× more potent than PFOA per microgram.
PFBS
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid. A "shorter-chain" PFAS replacement used by 3M after PFOS phase-out. Marketed as safer; bioaccumulation and toxicity data still emerging.
Anodized aluminum
Aluminum whose surface has been electrochemically converted to aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) — chemically inert, ~30% harder than steel. Leaches an order of magnitude less than raw aluminum (Mohammadi & Oshaghi 2023).
18/10 stainless
Stainless steel containing 18% chromium and 10% nickel. The standard premium stainless cookware grade. Slight nickel leach in acidic, prolonged-cook conditions (Kamerud 2013).
18/0 stainless
Stainless steel containing 18% chromium and 0% nickel. The choice for nickel-allergic cooks. Less corrosion-resistant than 18/10.
316Ti stainless
Titanium-stabilized 316-grade stainless. More corrosion-resistant than 18/10. Used by Heritage Steel and Demeyere Industry5.
Silvinox
Demeyere's electrochemical surface treatment for 18/10 stainless. Reduces nickel leaching to among the lowest in the premium stainless category. Best stainless choice for nickel-sensitive cooks.
Polymer fume fever ("Teflon flu")
A flu-like illness caused by inhaling fluorocarbon decomposition products from overheated PTFE coatings. Onset 4-8 hours post-exposure: fever, chills, dyspnea, cough, sore throat. Severe cases involve pulmonary edema. ~9 cases per year reported to U.S. poison control.
Hemochromatosis
Hereditary iron-overload condition. ~1 in 227 non-Hispanic white Americans carry the C282Y homozygote genotype (Adams 2005, NEJM). Standard clinical guidance: avoid uncoated cast iron and carbon steel cookware (Milman 2021).
XRF testing
X-ray fluorescence analysis. Reads total content of metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic) in a substrate. Used by Tamara Rubin / Lead Safe Mama. Different from leach testing — both metrics matter.
Leach testing
Submerging cookware in dilute acetic acid (4%) or nitric acid (1%) for a defined period and measuring metal migration into the solution. The metric the FDA actually regulates under CPG 545.450.
Prop 65
California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. Lists chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Cookware leach limit for lead is 0.1 mg/L. PFOA, PFOS, PFNA all listed.
FDA CPG 545.450
FDA Compliance Policy Guide for lead in ceramicware. Sets action levels by vessel type — 0.5 µg/mL for cups and mugs, 1.0 µg/mL for large hollowware, 3.0 µg/mL for flatware, via 24-hour 4% acetic acid extraction.
AB 1200
California cookware labeling law effective January 1, 2024. Requires manufacturers to disclose intentionally-added chemicals on handles and online listings, English and Spanish. Prohibits "PFAS-free" claims unless no PFAS were intentionally added. Not a sale ban.
Amara's Law
Minnesota HF 2310 (2023). Strictest US state PFAS law. Cookware sale ban took effect January 1, 2025. Named for Amara Strande, who died of liver cancer at 20 after exposure to 3M's Cottage Grove PFAS.
REACH
EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. The Universal PFAS Restriction proposal under REACH, submitted January 2023 by Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, would ban most PFAS — including in cookware — across the EU. Final RAC/SEAC opinions expected end of 2026.
Sol-gel ceramic
Silicon dioxide (silica) coating applied via sol-gel process. The chemistry behind GreenPan's Thermolon, Caraway's coating, and Our Place's Thermakind. PFAS-free when properly formulated.
Seasoning (cast iron)
Polymerized fat layer on bare cast iron / carbon steel. Created by heating thin layers of oil to 450-500°F until cross-linked. Functions as the non-stick surface.
Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI)
WHO / regulatory threshold for chronic dietary exposure to a substance. WHO TDI for nickel: 13 µg/kg body weight per day. EFSA Tolerable Weekly Intake for sum of 4 PFAS in food: 4.4 ng/kg/week.
C8 Health Project
Court-ordered epidemiological study of ~69,000 Mid-Ohio Valley residents exposed to DuPont's Washington Works PFOA discharges. Concluded 2012 with six "probable links" to disease: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, pregnancy-induced hypertension, hypercholesterolemia.