Your pots and pans could contain banned chemicals: See which brands are safe

A new database can help you figure out if the pots and pan in your kitchen are free of banned chemicals.

Cookware is often pulled from shelves because they are made with “PFAS” — or “forever chemicals” — but they could still be in your kitchen cabinets.

Nonprofit group Defend Our Health created a database where people can search more than 200 brands to see if what’s in their kitchen has the chemicals that are banned in several states, including Illinois. Effective this year, Illinois enacted a wide-ranging ban on PFAS in cookware, cosmetics, products for children, period products and floss, food packaging and some clothing.

The database was created by compiling disclosure reports from companies that state whether there is intentional use of PFAS any of its products.

You can search by brand name and see if the company has disclosed that it uses any PFAS in any of its products. The database lists PFAS-free bands, brands that use PFAS, and brands where the use of PFAS was unable to be determined.

Popular brands like Breville, Blackstone, Ikea, and Miele are among those on the PFAS-free list. If you have cookware from All-Clad, Country Living, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach or Le Creuset, you may want to consult the database as they are among the many brands who reported products do or may contain the banned chemicals.

The database says it will continue to verify whether banned items are still being sold in some states and will notify state regulators of violations.