DES MOINES (AP) -- A $5 billion legal war over the safety of Teflon-coated cookware will begin this month in Iowa, where lawyers representing dozens of people nationwide will claim their clients were not warned that their pots and pans may cause cancer.

Sixteen lawsuits have been filed in 13 states against DuPont Co., which produces the nonstick coating Teflon.

The lawsuits describe toxic gases that are emitted when Teflon pans are heated to 464 degrees or higher. They also allege that Teflon's chemicals cause cancer in laboratory animals and kill pet birds in unventilated kitchens.

"The claim we're bringing is really a consumer class action related to the failure to warn," said Alan Kluger, a Miami attorney expected to lead the battle against DuPont. "The basic concept is that when corporate America has information, the public has a right to know."

Kluger and other attorneys say they are seeking reimbursement for anyone who bought Teflon-coated products, and money to monitor them for possible health problems. He said the lawsuits could lead to "millions and millions of people getting hundreds of dollars."

The lawsuits were transferred to a federal courthouse in Des Moines after a panel of judges voted to consolidate the pretrial proceedings.

Court papers allege that DuPont misled customers and withheld information about Teflon's chemicals since it began making the product in 1946. DuPont officials have insisted that Teflon-coated products are safe, though they have increasingly battled health questions in the last two years.

In 2004, the company settled a class-action lawsuit filed by about 50,000 people who lived near its West Virginia plant. The residents claimed the company contaminated water supplies with perfluorooctanoic acid - a Teflon ingredient - and alleged the chemical was linked to birth defects and other health problems.

DuPont paid $50 million to the residents and agreed to spend $10 million on special water treatment facilities. But company officials did not accept liability and have since maintained that perfluorooctanoic acid is not dangerous.

A panel of scientists assembled in February by the Environmental Protection Agency called perfluorooctanoic acid a likely cancer risk for humans. But federal officials have also said they don't believe customers should stop using the Teflon products because of health concerns.

The decision followed DuPont's agreement last year to pay $16.5 million to settle government allegations that the company hid information about the chemical's dangers. Environmental regulators had sued the company over the West Virginia case.