Sandwich makers and waffle irons under threat from mooted UK toxic chemical ban

‘Forever chemicals’ known as PFAs found in everything from raincoats to food packaging and frying pans

Household equipment like toastie makers and waffle irons might disappear from store shelves if manufacturers can’t find a way of making them without relying on toxic chemicals.  

Most of these appliances rely on a chemical known as PTFE to provide a non-stick surface for the plates.  

Earlier this week the Government announced it will investigate the risk posed to public health and the environment by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances known as PFAS, a family of around 5,000 different chemicals including PTFE.  

It is the first step in a process that could result in a ban on their use for everything but ‘essential’ applications.  

PFAS are widely used in industry and manufacturing to make non-stick and grease-repellent products, such as waterproof jackets, non-stick cookware, takeaway food packaging, fire-fighting foam and stain-repellent fabrics.  

But they are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they hardly degrade in the natural environment, leading to ever-increasing pollution levels. 

Many are thought to be toxic to humans and wildlife, with two of the most studied chemicals in the family – PFOA and PFOS – found to cause cancer and disrupt foetal development. They have been banned under the Stockholm Convention

But scientists say the effects of thousands of other PFAS have yet to be studied, and many could well be just as toxic to human health.  

PFAS-free items such as raincoats and frying pans are becoming more common. But in some areas work on safer alternatives is still in its infancy, with some manufacturers “reluctant” to develop PFAS-free solutions unless they are forced to, according to Professor Ian Cousins, environmental chemist at Stockholm University.  

He told i that shoppers might struggle to find non-stick appliances such as toasted sandwich makers and waffle makers if manufacturers aren’t allowed to use PTFE to make them. A return to traditional iron waffle makers may be on the cards, he said, at least until alternative coatings have been developed. 

“Consumers are going to be annoyed because they will have to have less convenient products, that’s for sure, if [PFAS] are phased out,” he said.  

He stressed appliances made with PFAS such as PTFE are safe to use, explaining the environmental and health risks emerge during their manufacture and disposal.  

“When you manufacture PTFE you release a lot of nasty things,” he said. “And also we don’t know how to deal with the waste – we can’t recycle the PTFE, and we find PTFE particles now in Mediterranean fish and the Arctic sediments.” 

He added: “The use phase of these is safe. But at the cost of what? Horrible pollution in China or somewhere else in the world?” 

Plastic packaging vs PFAS?

The shift away from plastic packaging to compostable cups, bowls and boxes could mean more people are encountering packaging made using PFAS, Scottish environment charity Fidra has warned.  

In a small-scale study of takeaway food packaging last year, Fidra found takeaway food packaging containing “significant levels” of PFAS, with the highest levels found in compostable bowls and boxes made of mouldable fibre. A US study last year yielded similar results.  

Dr Kerry Dinsmore, who led the UK study, warned the drive to abandon plastic packaging could be exacerbating the problem. “Right now people are switching away from plastic,” she told i. “You get PFAS in paperboard and compostable moulded fibres…and they are the most obvious alternative to plastic.” 

Fidra is campaigning for a ban on the use of all PFAS in food packaging, a step Denmark took in July last year. Dr Dinsmore urged people to use refillable containers wherever possible. “It’s a hierarchy when it comes to packaging. You don’t want plastic, if you have to use something that is single-use, it should be recyclable or safely compostable.”