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Fraying teflon on stainless steel pan

I own a frying pan that is coated with teflon. The body is stainless steel. A friend of mine said that I should not use this pan any more because the surface has some nicks, which looks as though teflon is fraying. Is ingesting teflon harmful. Do I really have to give up this "beloved" pan. Can anyone let me know the "definitive word" on the subject.

Thank you,

Motoko Inoue
- Northampton, Massachusetts
2003

There is no definitive word. There is virtually zero additional chemical coming out of a torn teflon than there is with one that is intact. The difference would be less than parts per trillion. Most people abandon them because they do not want to find a tiny piece of teflon in their food, which is strictly looks. There is some interesting literature out on one of the chemicals in Teflon that is hazardous. Once the pan has been fired to the point of oil smoking, the amount of this chemical should be negligible. First time use is open to debate. You can do a web search on the subject as there is a lot of literature on this subject if you put the correct words in your query.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2003