"Consumers trying to avoid toxic chemicals in their nonstick cookware face convoluted advertising claims that can confuse even the most well-informed buyers.
Take Diana Zuckerman, who, as president of the National Center for Health Research, is more familiar than the average person with chemistry and toxicology. Still, she said, trying to determine which pans and cookware did not contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of toxic substances linked to cancer and other health problems, was no easy task.
"I, like many consumers, was fooled by all the promotional statements made about many types of cookware," she said. "You shouldn't need a doctorate to figure out what cookware is safe."
But there's limited oversight or enforcement of misleading marketing claims related to chemicals, with critics arguing the nation's consumer protection system — which includes the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau — is ill-equipped to handle them."
E.A. Crunden and Ariel Wittenberg report for E&E News March 24, 2021.
