# Are rusty cooking pots a health hazard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106 "2013-02-22T20:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bones\_Daley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/1 "2013-02-22T20:17:35Z")
My son is a chef, and freaks out when he sees my pots, which were Teflon covered originally, but which have now worn through to the bare metal. My take is that a little bit of iron oxide never hurt anybody, and I certainly don’t want to lay out the cash for a set of stainless steel or ceramic pots… Support and reassurance welcomed …( I do wash off the surplus rust prior to cooking btw) ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/2 "2013-02-22T20:20:29Z")
Is he concerned because of the rust, or because it means that you are flaking off bits of Teflon into your food every time you cook? Freaking go to target and buy a cheap non-stick pot for $22. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/3 "2013-02-22T20:29:25Z")
According to [this old SDMB thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=565751), rust isn’t anything to worry about, unless large sharp flakes of metal are falling off, but then I don’t think anybody would actually use a pot in that state. More specifically, the biggest risk would be iron poisoning, but rust is a form that is insoluble and only very weakly bioavailable as a result; quoted LD50 values are 30 grams for a rat and hundreds of grams for a toddler. Even somebody with [hemochromatosis](http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemochromatosis/index.html) (excessive iron absorption/storage) probably wouldn’t have a problem. Ingesting bits of Teflon aren’t a problem either; after all, it is used because it is so inert (which would probably be true for most other plastics as well when ingested). ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/4 "2013-02-22T20:31:54Z")
Iron/rust is not a problem. I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure Teflon _is_. When it gets old, throw it out. Buy cast iron, if you want cookware that will last forever. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/5 "2013-02-22T20:34:55Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Ingesting bits of Teflon aren’t a problem either; after all, it is used because it is so inert (which would probably be true for most other plastics as well when ingested). I have heard lots of terrible horror stories about Teflon that I don’t really believe. I just don’t use it because I prefer other types of cookware. But do you have any cites that Teflon is inert and harmless, for my own reference and to point others to? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/6 "2013-02-22T20:46:07Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I have heard lots of terrible horror stories about Teflon that I don’t really believe. I just don’t use it because I prefer other types of cookware. But do you have any cites that Teflon is inert and harmless, for my own reference and to point others to? > **[Polytetrafluoroethylene | Safety](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptfe#Safety)** > > While PTFE is stable at lower temperatures, it begins to deteriorate at temperatures of about 260 °C (500 °F), it decomposes above 350 °C (662 °F), and pyrolysis occurs at temperatures above 400 °C (752 °F). The main decomposition products are fluorocarbon gases and a sublimate, including tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and difluorocarbene radicals (RCF2). > An animal study conducted in 1955 concluded that it is unlikely that these products would be generated in amounts significant to health at temperat... The safety section speaks of the hazards of thermal decomposition of PTFE (trademark name Teflon), but the room-temperature stuff is not toxic. For a more authoritative source, [the MSDS for DuPont’s Teflon](http://msds.dupont.com/msds/pdfs/EN/PEN_09004a2f806ab36e.pdf) says regarding ingestion, “No hazards which require special first aid measures. Drink water as a precaution.” So if it’s flaking off of your pan because you used a metal spatula, no biggie. If it’s burning off because you are cooking with the burner on high, that could be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/7 "2013-02-22T21:33:38Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I have heard lots of terrible horror stories about Teflon that I don’t really believe. I just don’t use it because I prefer other types of cookware. But do you have any cites that Teflon is inert and harmless, for my own reference and to point others to? [Sure](http://www.vp-scientific.com/Chemical_Resistance_Chart.htm). Teflon is one of the most inert substances know to man. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/8 "2013-02-23T04:35:28Z")
The problem isn’t Teflon. The problem is the pan doesn’t use pure Teflon, or it isn’t fully polymerized, or etc. Just like polycarbonate isn’t dangerous, but BPA is. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/9 "2013-02-23T04:45:25Z")
My understanding is that in some situations bacteria can “hide” in the rust and contaminate food. Regulations for stainless steel knives are pretty strict for this reason (cite: I believe this is mentioned in Cooking For Geeks). My guess is that this isn’t a problem for pans if you’re cooking in them because the heat kills the bacteria, but maybe the son is conflating the two? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/10 "2013-02-23T17:17:46Z")
Note: If you have a pet bird in the house, the fumes from damaged Teflon pans can be toxic to it. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/11 "2013-02-23T19:34:03Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Note: If you have a pet bird in the house, the fumes from damaged Teflon pans can be toxic to it. “Damaged” means damaged by overheating, not as in flaking off/rusting (and only while it is being overheated). Although I could see a flake of Teflon fall onto the burner and burn up without the pan itself being overheated. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/12 "2013-02-24T16:34:04Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > The problem isn’t Teflon. The problem is the pan doesn’t use pure Teflon, or it isn’t fully polymerized, or etc. Just like polycarbonate isn’t dangerous, but BPA is. In the case of Teflon, the dangerous precursor is PFOA [Perfluorooctanoic acid - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanoic_acid) . The article on teflon says it’s not present in significant amounts, but there will always be people who worry. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rusty-cooking-pots-a-health-hazard/651106/13 "2013-02-24T23:11:48Z")
worry or not, it’s time to buy a new pan. they aren’t expensive, as someone has previously stated. there’s no excuse man, really.