Researchers found in a 2022 study in Science of the Total Environment that a single crack in a nonstick coating can release about 9,100 plastic particles
POMONA, CA, UNITED STATES, August 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A single scratch in a nonstick pan can release about 9,100 plastic particles, and a coating that has broken down can shed up to 2.3 million microplastic and nanoplastic particles, according to a 2022 study published in Science of the Total Environment. Researchers at Flinders University and the University of Newcastle measured the release using Raman imaging, a technique sensitive enough to count individual particles.
The team examined Teflon-coated cookware and found that once the surface is damaged, the coating flakes directly into food. The imaging allowed the researchers to quantify how much was released, from a single hairline crack to a coating that had visibly broken down. One crack released thousands, while a broken-down coating released millions.
The numbers behind the study
About 9,100 plastic particles released from a single surface crack (Science of the Total Environment, 2022)
Up to 2.3 million microplastic and nanoplastic particles shed from a broken coating (Science of the Total Environment, 2022)
Method: Raman imaging of Teflon-coated cookware (Science of the Total Environment, 2022)
The authors’ takeaway: damaged nonstick coatings are a direct source of microplastics (Flinders University, 2022)
What a damaged coating means
Visible scratches, chips, or flaking on a coated pan indicate a surface that is already releasing particles, not one that merely looks worn. In the study, the coating, rather than the act of cooking, determined whether particles ended up in food. Removing a damaged coated pan from use, or cooking on an uncoated solid-metal surface, removes that particular source. The finding adds to a broader body of research on microplastics in the food supply, with cookware among many everyday sources.
“Nearly every kitchen in the country has a nonstick pan with a few scratches in it, and this research finally puts a number on what each of those scratches means,” said a spokesperson for Taima Titanium, a direct-to-consumer titanium cookware brand. “A coating cannot flake into food if there is no coating. That is the design logic of cooking on bare metal.”
About Taima Titanium
Taima Titanium is a direct-to-consumer cookware brand built on a bare Grade 1 titanium cooking surface, with no PFAS, no PTFE, and no chemical nonstick coating that can scratch, chip, or shed. The company is based in Pomona, California. More information is available at taimatitanium.com.
Taima Titanium Team
Taima Titanium
+1 831-480-0618
hello@taimatitanium.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
