Can silicone bakeware release chemicals into your food when heated?

What's actually in it

Silicone bakeware is made from a type of rubber called polydimethylsiloxane. During manufacturing, small ring-shaped molecules called cyclic siloxanes (D4, D5, and D6) get trapped inside the material. When you heat silicone molds in the oven, these molecules escape into both your food and the air you breathe.

D4 is classified as a potential endocrine disruptor. D5 and D6 are persistent in the environment and may build up in your body over time. The European Chemicals Agency has flagged all three as substances of very high concern.

What the research says

A 2025 study in J Hazard Mater tested silicone baking molds by actually baking muffins in them and measuring what came out. The researchers detected D4, D5, and D6 both in the baked muffins and in the air above the oven.

The amounts released were highest during the first few uses, but siloxanes kept leaching even after multiple rounds of baking. Exposure through food was the bigger concern compared to inhalation, though both routes added up.

The study estimated that a person baking regularly with silicone molds could be exposed to siloxane levels that approach or exceed the tolerable daily intake set by European regulators. Children and frequent bakers face the highest risk because of their smaller body weight or higher exposure.

If you want to keep using silicone bakeware, the study suggests "curing" new molds by heating them empty at high temperature a few times before first use. This drives off some of the trapped siloxanes. But it doesn't eliminate them completely.