The short answer
No source we checked shows that cooking on a nonstick pan causes cancer. Older concern focused on PFOA, a chemical once used to make nonstick coatings. PFOA is no longer made in the US. The International Agency for Research on Cancer rated PFOA as carcinogenic to humans in 2023, based on animal evidence, with limited human evidence for kidney and testicular cancer.
We did not find a federal source showing that using nonstick cookware causes cancer.
Older concern focused on a manufacturing chemical called PFOA, part of a family called PFAS.
The American Cancer Society says PFOA and some related chemicals are no longer made in the US.
In 2023 IARC rated PFOA as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in animals. Evidence in people was limited and pointed to kidney and testicular cancer.
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The claim
Nonstick pans are often called by the brand name Teflon. Rumor has it they cause cancer, above all if they are scratched or overheated. The worry blends into a broader concern about "forever chemicals" in the environment.
What the evidence shows
The American Cancer Society notes that PFAS chemicals have been used to make nonstick coatings on cookware. It also says PFOA and some closely related chemicals are no longer made in the US. The old concern was not the finished coating. It was a chemical used to make it, called PFOA. We did not find a federal source that shows cooking on a nonstick pan causes cancer.
The "forever chemicals" question
PFOA is part of a large family of long-lasting chemicals called PFAS. In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) rated PFOA as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). That rating rested on sufficient evidence in animals. Evidence in people was limited. It pointed to kidney cancer and testicular cancer. The National Cancer Institute reports that people with the highest PFOA levels in one study were more than twice as likely to develop kidney cancer. NCI also says a large share of public PFAS exposure comes from contaminated drinking water or food. That is a different route than cooking on a pan.
The bottom line
On the sources we checked, using a nonstick pan is not shown to cause cancer. The larger "forever chemicals" issue is a real area of study. It is mostly about drinking water, food, and work exposure. If you are worried about PFAS or cookware, your care team can help you sort out what matters for you.
Sources
Common questions
Do nonstick pans cause cancer?
The sources we checked do not show that cooking on a nonstick pan causes cancer. The American Cancer Society notes that PFAS have been used to make nonstick coatings, and that PFOA is no longer made in the US. If you are worried, your care team can talk it through with you.
What about PFOA and 'forever chemicals'?
IARC classified PFOA as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) in 2023. That rests on sufficient evidence in animals. Evidence in people was limited and pointed to kidney and testicular cancer. NCI says a large share of public PFAS exposure comes from contaminated drinking water or food.
Where can I learn more about PFAS and cancer?
The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society both have pages on PFAS. Your care team can also help.
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Sources last checked: 2026-07-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-01-13
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Editorial review complete — This page completed Cancer Explained's editorial checks (sources, safety, plain language, duplication). It has not been reviewed by a physician or other healthcare professional.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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