Can PFAS pass from nonstick cookware into breast milk?

What's actually in it

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from nonstick cookware and stain-resistant products accumulate in the mother's blood over years. Breast milk contains fats and proteins. PFAS bind to those fats and proteins and transfer into the milk. A nursing infant then receives a concentrated dose of whatever PFAS the mother has accumulated in her body.

Infants consume large amounts of breast milk relative to their body weight, and their organs are still developing. Their bodies are less able to process or eliminate PFAS than adult bodies.

What the research says

A 2026 study in J Appl Toxicol tracked early-life dietary exposure to PFOA through milk consumption and modeled developmental toxicity. PFOA transferred into milk and exposed developing infants during a critical developmental window. The researchers found that early-life PFAS exposure through milk was associated with developmental toxicity effects that persisted into later life.

Reducing maternal PFAS body burden before pregnancy and during nursing is difficult because PFAS clear slowly. But stopping new exposures matters. Eliminating nonstick cookware from kitchen use is the most direct intervention.

Switch to stainless steel cookware and avoid PFAS-treated food packaging to reduce ongoing exposure during pregnancy and nursing.