Sometimes taking the easy route doesn’t pay off. No one likes having their food stick to the cooking pans or utensils, but unfortunately, the materials applied to these items to prevent sticking can cause cancer.

When you cook using non-stick pans, the coatings release Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8. The PFOA is then present in the food when it is heated.

An independent science review panel in the United States has recommended that perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts (PFOA) be considered "likely to be carcinogenic" based on laboratory studies in rats. The U.S. EPA has also determined that PFOA is “likely” to cause cancer in rats.

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
PFOA is a synthetic (man-made) chemical that does not occur naturally in the environment. Companies use PFOA to make fluoropolymers, substances with special properties that have thousands of important manufacturing and industrial applications.

Consumer products made with fluoropolymers include non-stick cookware, and breathable, all-weather clothing.

These compounds are also present in microwave popcorn bags, fast food and candy wrappers, and pizza box liners

The EPA began investigating PFOA because it is very persistent in the environment (with an elimination half life of four years) and its presence in the blood of the general U.S. population. Additionally, it has been shown to cause developmental problems and other adverse effects in laboratory animals.