The latest in a string of nanny-state laws that Empire State officials have either approved or are considering in recent years is the proposed bill that would outlaw the chemicals used in cookware and numerous other products.
New York would join a few other states, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Minnesota, in enacting a ban; however, a trade organization opposing the lawmakers is misinterpreting the science.
The same kind of chemicals are applied to pacemakers and other devices that state lawmakers are not targeting, according to Steve Burns of the Cookware Sustainability Alliance.
“What we try to say is that exact chemical that a cardiac surgeon has been putting into bodies for 60 years, how can that possibly be dangerous?” he stated. “But somehow the same chemical when used to coat a frying pan is deemed to be dangerous.
“If we’re gonna go around the state of New York and point at things in everybody’s home and say that good, that’s good, that’s bad,” he continued. “What’s it based on?”
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a subset of the synthetic chemical group known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is used to make nonstick cookware. Pots and pans would not be the only items prohibited.
The proposed regulation would also forbid the sale of certain architectural paints, auto parts, cleaning supplies, carpets, ski wax fabrics, and polish that contain PFAS.
Two important state Assembly committees in the legislature’s lower house have already approved the law, which was approved by the state Senate in May. According to a representative for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the bill is “being discussed.”
Additionally, Governor Kathy Hochul would have to approve the final bill into law.
One of the bill’s architects, Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), referred to the PFAS-containing items as “cancer causing pollutants” that are detrimental to both human health and the environment.
“By phasing out this whole class of dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ we can decrease the likelihood that New Yorkers are exposed to these toxins through the life-cycle of the product, including the manufacturing, use, and disposal,” Hoylman-Sigal, who is running for Manhattan borough president, stated.
Moderate Democrats and even two Republican senators have co-sponsored the bill, indicating its widespread support.
Phara Souffrant Forres, a member of the Brooklyn Democratic Assembly, even argued in an opinion piece last month that the chemicals used to cover non-stick cookware are harmful to human health.
“As a nurse, this concerns me, and it’s why I’m in support of getting these chemicals out of our cookware and other products, and ensuring safer alternatives are used,” Souffrant Forres, a member of the Democratic Socialists of American stated.
Read Also: Gov. Kathy Hochul Faces Primary Challenge From Her Own Lieutenant Governor
According to the FDA website, government guidelines permit the use of nonstick coatings on pots and pans. An assemblyman from Westchester who opposed the legislation cited the FDA’s established position.
“I think consumer choice is crucial, there’s no question,” Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) stated. “But you’re running in conflict with what the [Food and Drug Administration] has out there.”
The proposed ban is only one of many harsh regulations that Empire State politicians have thought about or implemented, such as those that target flavored nicotine pouches, single-use plastic soap bottles in hotels, and wood and coal-fired stoves.
Although PTFE-coated nonstick cookware is safe when used properly, the coating may burn off and release potentially hazardous vapors if the cookware is heated over 500 degrees.
Teflon flu, another name for polymer fume fever, can be brought on by the fumes.
According to Burns from the Cookware Alliance, an FDA representative informed the outlet that the agency is not aware of any studies that suggest PFAS in nonstick cookware could pose a safety risk to consumers.
“This dates all the way back to the JFK administration and has been true under both Democratic and Republican presidents alike,” he stated.
