Cooking with non-stick pots and pans likely won't pose a health hazard so long as chefs resist the urge to crank the heat up to extremely high temperatures, researchers with Consumer Reports suggest in a new study.

The New York-based magazine set out to test the safety of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a synthetic chemical used to make non-stick coating. Earlier studies had suggested that high temperatures could cause the coating to release fumes that could trigger flu-like symptoms in humans.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also said the synthetic chemical has been found to cause cancer in rats.

Consumer Reports tested non-stick pans from various manufacturers to test the safety of new and used pans at heats of 204 C (400 F) and found that PFOA emissions were minimal.

"The highest level was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern for ongoing exposure to PFOA," the magazine reports in its June issue. "With the aged pans, emissions were barely measurable."

Health Canada has said that non-stick coatings are safe to use at temperatures under 350 C (662 F). But, the federal agency said that with higher heats, irritating or poisonous fumes may be released.

Consumer Reports also warned that consumers should still ensure that their cooking area is well-ventilated.

It also recommends that older pans and pots where the coating has started to flake should be thrown out.

In January 2006, eight U.S. companies agreed to a proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cut the amount of PFOA in the cookware by 95 per cent by 2010. They also agreed to cut the PFOA emitted during the manufacturing of the products by the same amount.

The companies set a 2015 deadline to eliminate the emission and use of PFOA entirely.