They are not close enough! You are destroying your messaging and activism by combining them in this way.

Tell a manufacturer "stop adding Teflon it's not safe" and they will laugh at you. Tell them "stop adding PFAS it's not safe" and they might actually listen.

> Teflon is shorthand for all of the fluorinated hydrocarbons in my mind.

That's a VERY un-smart thing to do!

Saying they are the same because of the molecule is like complaining salt is unsafe before it has chlorine in it.

>The problem is a lack of a precautionary principle— manufacturers can change one molecule and re-market their product and groups like the EPA have to do extensive research on each new variant to show danger. Molecules are assumed safe and marketable until shown otherwise by underfunded agencies. It’s insane.

I'm skeptical that would have made a difference. According to wikipedia teflon pans were introduced in the 1950s, and it was only until the last decade or so that the real dangers (ie. not just the fumes from it overheating) were known.