Silicone Baking Pans-Safe or Not?
September 24, 2007 by Marye Audet
Filed under Autumn, Bakers' Tools
A week or so ago I did a post on the silicone cupcake liners which I love. Someone commented that they did not feel that the silicone was a safe thing to use as it had chemicals that could leach into the food, etc.
This concerned me, because anyone will tell you, I am an eco-freak. Actually, I am an eco-freak from long lines of eco freaks, my ancestors were all pretty much farmers and were into organics way before it was cool. But I digress.
I n my eco- freakiness I decided to do some research to see what I could find out. After all, my readers support me! If I am going to recommend something to you I don’t want it to be something that will kill you off. Here is what I found out. From Debra Lynn Dadd: I tried to find some information on the health effects of silicone rubber, but it was not listed in any of the toxic chemical databases I use.
I went to the Dow Corning website (who makes over 700 different silicone rubbers) and looked at a random sample of their MSDSs. The ones I read listed no hazardous materials or health effects, or needed first aid measures. All descriptions I read of silicone rubber describe it as chemically inert and stable, so it is unlikely to react with or leach into food, nor outgas vapors. MSDSs also note that silicone is not toxic to aquatic or soil organisms, it is not hazardous waste, and while it is not biodegradable, it can be recycled after a lifetime of use.
Some years back there was a question about the safety of silicone used in breast implants. Whether or not the health problems experienced by some women with breast implants were associated with the implants has been very controversial. I found an article from the year 2000 on a leading website on breast cancer and related women’s issues that states “A large study conducted by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) finds no correlation between silicone-filled breast implants and breast cancer risk.”
The prolonged inhalation of crystalline silica dust is associated with silicosis, but there is no silica dust exposure from the use of silicone kitchenware.
O.k…That sounds good!
I read through the description of it on free patents online and saw nothing that would indicate a health risk.
Basically everything I did read, and there was not a lot specifically dealing with this, maintained that all chemicals were inert and did not pose health risks.
I read a ton of bloggers that loved using them, found out that they are not always perfectly nonstick, and that sometimes the bake time can be longer ..Other than that, go for it!
I try to keep in mind that we live lives in a precarious balance. Is it better to use plastic bags that never biodegrade? Paper than use up valuable resources? Canvas that you have to research to make sure they were not made by children in foreign sweatshops? Living is very complicated these days if you give any thought to it. Sometimes we have to research a subject, admit that the research may be flawed, and follow our conscience in the matter.
I prefer to use reusable items. These are. I prefer not to use bleached and dyed paper. These are not. I love the ease with which they clean up, the fact that I always have them available and the fact that after using them for a month or so I have recouped my investment. For me these are a good thing and a product I will continue to use.
I hope this information is helpful to you. 
Wow, you certainly did a lot of digging and I for one want to thank you. I had been wondering about all of those issues too.
Thanks for the information. I love my mini cupcake pans and regular cupcake pans. Nothing has a liner which is perfect since most of the time I freeze the finished product and the paper liners are a pain to get off once frozen.
I was trying to find out if it was safe AFTER it is heated up under extreme temperature? You see when I used them it gave off a toxic plastic smell. I returned them to the store. I don’t like to use Aluminum (too much aluminum to go into blood stream) (by the way check out your deodorant — makes you wonder about breast cancer. I have since then started using a crystal sold in deod. section and my whole family uses it and it is great!) or using teflon. I started using parchment paper on cookie sheets with great success. Now for muffin tins!
Thanks for looking into that. I actually came across the same web site (Debra Lynn Dadd) when doing a search for the same reasons. Further down that site, after the bit you quote, there was another comment that went like this:
The safety of Silicone Rubber cookware has not in my mind been proven. I am an engineer that uses silicone rubber to make parts cast from silicone rubber compounds and the material’s flexibility is in part do to the silicone oil present in the material’s structure. The oily nature of the silicone rubber’s surface testifies to the oils presence. It can be washed off only with very strong detergents, but continues to leach out to the surface over time with use. This is the same silicone oil that has been determined to be dangerous when used in silicone breast implants. I can’t help but wonder and worry about the long term effects of trace amounts of silicone oil mixing with the foods one bakes or cooks in this bake ware.
POSTED BY ERICC :: CA USA :: 06/04/2007 3:54 PM
Another post further down mentions lingering odours after using a silicone mat to bake fish. The concern for this particular user was the fact that her daughter was allergic to fish, and she wondered if the fish had permanently affected the mat and might get into the food cooked for the daughter on the same mat. This is a more obscure concern than the questions of carcinogenic dangers, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.
I generally think, if in doubt, there are bound to be other options available that are less risky, and more natural, especially when you are feeding children.
Cheers and happy cooking
Hi, I bought silicone muffin tins from a reputable discount store, and used them twice and then threw them away. When heated, they gave off a really nasty plastic-y smell, and it made me too nervous to eat the muffins. So now I’m wondering if it’s just that I bought cheap ones (but they were name brand!), or if I should just stick with the tried-and-true metal tins, rather than being my generation’s lab rat with the silicone.
I have the wilton ones and they have been fabulous. I Don;t know about the less expensive ones.
Thank you Judy Watson!! Confirms what I instinctively was afraid of with this type of bakeware. And SuperLeah: I don’t want to be ‘my generation’s lab rat’ either – well put!! So, no I won’t be using this stuff!
I don’t know, but I keep thinking about ‘The Graduate’: the future, Benjamin, plastics…
I just purchased a Kitchen Aid Silicone mini muffin pan but I have not used it yet. I guess I will heat the oven to 400′F and see if it smells. The general rule is “if it smells, it is leaching”. I use http://www.ewg.org for help with enviro questions.
I use to use parchment paper until I found out that it is coated with teflon as well as paper plates.
to Gigi –
Isn’t parchment paper silicone coated? At least when I looked it up on Wikipedia it said it was. Maybe there are other kinds. Anyway, just a thought…
Some of the so-called “silicone” bakeware (the cheaper ones naturally) are not 100% silicone and so the odor people are smelling when they bake in it is probably PLASTIC, which is used a filler!
You did a lot of research and so did Debra Ladd, but I do not think that materials published by manufacturers or their associations or even the MSDS reports, which are not often verified by independent sources, are accurate places to get unbiased facts about the dangers of products.
I agree with the posters who indicate that the jury is not yet in on the safety of silicone products, and I for one will not expose myself or my family to foods heated to high temperatures in materials of questionable construction.
I guess when in doubt stick with stainless steel or teflon. As long as it doesn’t chip it should be fine.
Thank you! I Googled about the toxicity of silicone and found your blog. I know it is not quite relevant but I was looking to find out about the toxicity of the silicone cases used for iPhones and am relieved they are not.