Please understand that not all nonstick cookware is Teflon or PTFE. And that not all PTFE cookware relies on the use of PFOA when it’s manufactured.
However, it is widely thought by the public that all non-stick cookware IS coated with PTFE + PFOA.
It is this strong association, then, that has given rise to the misconception that all non-stick coating in cookware is dangerous and should be avoided.
That being said;
PFOA is being used in the manufacture of PTFE outside of the US, but its chemical components are different. This PTFE may find its way onto the surface of non-stick cookware produced outside of the US.
Or, to put it another way, while PFOA is still used in the manufacturing of PTFE for use on non-stick pans, it’s no longer used as a major component in the production of non-stick cookware.
Most if not all of this toxic substance is used up by the time the production process is complete. The objective being to leave only a minute or trace level of PFOA.
This PTFE cookware can then be legally advertised as being PFOA free.