Some companies advertise so-called "nontoxic cookware" and "nontoxic nonstick cookware", with "new and improved" finishes, or coatings, or materials used. But are the ads truthful?
The Guardian published an investigation into the the matter. Uh-oh. They found evidence of toxic chemicals used (lead, mercury, titanium dioxide, etc.) by companies advertising their products as "nontoxic". Some of the cookware advertises itself as a nontoxic ceramic cookware, but it's actually "quasi-ceramic" and containing hidden ingredients (which the companies call proprietary ingredients).
Also, keep in mind that there are no actual regulations or legal definitions of what "nontoxic" or "ceramic" means. Some of the cookware contains lead, yet there are no federal limits for lead in ceramic cookware. The problems go on and on.
In other words, buyer beware. A safer alternative is to use traditional stainless steel, glass (e.g., Pyrex), and cast iron cookware
Excerpts from The Guardian: Toxic truth? The cookware craze redefining 'ceramic' and 'nontoxic'
The cookware industry has entered a golden age, largely driven by the wild success of a new generation of “nontoxic” and “nonstick” designer ceramic pans backed by stars including Selena Gomez, Stanley Tucci and Oprah Winfrey.
But the pans are probably not “nontoxic” some independent testing and research suggests. Nor are they even “ceramic” – at least not in the way the public broadly thinks of ceramics. Now, regulators are investigating some of the pan sellers’ claims. ...continue reading "New Cookware That Falsely Advertises As Nontoxic"