Identification of perflurooctanoic acid release from commercial coated cooking pans by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Salts of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) can be used in the manufacture of fluoropolymers employed for coating pans; moreover, PFOA can be formed as a byproduct of thermolysis of the aforesaid fluoropolymers. This study was carried out to evaluate PFOA migration into food cooked in fluoropolymer-coated pans. The pans were purchased from a local retailer and subjected to cooking conditions. Used oil was extracted with a methanol/water solution and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). We found that PFOA can enter cooked food during a container's first phases of use, not only in containers already abused by kitchen tools or otherwise scratched.