Happy New Year!
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Notes -
First, the pan has to be ripping hot for that to happen and you will definitely smell the fumes. If you're already cooking with Teflon and haven't yet experienced any ill effects, I wouldn't worry about it. Even then, the problems it causes are temporary and not a chronic problem. With leeching, it's not so much that as it is flaking, as slick surfaces don't want to bond to anything including the underlying metal. But the inertness means that it's not reacting with your system, either, and should pass through without causing any harm. The problems caused during manufacturing are due to the precursor chemicals used in manufacture rather than the final chemical itself. Even if you're worried about Teflon, the pans should be the least of your concerns, since the same class of chemicals is used to coat a lot of food packaging (and other packaging) and is literally everywhere. The benefit of a good nonstick pan is well-worth the disadvantage of potentially marginally increasing exposure to a chemical that isn't known to be dangerous anyway.
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