Teflon was accidentally discovered in 1938 by DuPont chemists while they were trying to develop new refrigerants to replace dangerous, explosive ones used in the 1920s-30s. Rudy Molinek wrote a piece for The Smithsonian titles "The Long, Strange History of Teflon, the Indestructible Product Nothing Seems to Stick to" that describes how Teflon went from being a mysterious laboratory curiosity to playing a crucial role in the Manhattan Project, before becoming a household name through non-stick cookware and eventually leading to the development of a whole class of chemicals known as PFAS, which are now raising significant health and environmental concerns.
Highlights:
- It was first used in the Manhattan Project to protect pipes from corrosive uranium hexafluoride gas.
- The first consumer product with Teflon was a non-stick skillet called the "Happy Pan" in 1961.
- Teflon sales are about $3 billion annually and projected to grow.
- The carbon-fluorine bond in Teflon is the strongest bond in chemistry, making it extremely stable and non-reactive.
- Teflon and related chemicals (PFAS) are now found in 97% of Americans' blood. These "forever chemicals" don't break down easily and can cause health issues like cancer and reduced fertility.
Excerpt:
Inventor Marion Trozzolo came up with the first Teflon-coated skillet, called the Happy Pan, in 1957 and began selling it in 1961. For the 25th anniversary of the skillet, in 1986, Trozzolo gifted an original Happy Pan to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Since then, Teflon has spread everywhere. In 1969, Wilbert and Bob Gore used a form of PTFE to make a waterproof, breathable fabric they called Gore-Tex that's now omnipresent in raincoats and hiking boots. Inventors have also put Teflon in dental floss, plumbing thread-seal tape and medical devices like artificial heart valves, among many other applications.
Previously:
• Geckos can't climb teflon
• Teflon-coated yarn
