TEFLON, a Very serious WARNING.

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Teflon or PTFE
This applies more to pet owners.
Teflon cooking ware can be and IS FATAL to your pets. We lost a Kakariki, and Sulphur Crested several yrs ago to Teflon coated baking dishes. And also know others who have, and several others who in retrospect it was a good possibility.
The lungs hemorrhage, fill with fluid, and the pet suffocates quickly..no cure..just Dead.
So I wounder at what effect continual small doses do?
I think this is a common disease called Pulmonary Edema.
If new baking dishes/frying pans have not been factory cured properly they will give off a highly toxic gases and will kill your birds,even at low temps. U also my be affected with symptoms of mild headache, a little 'ache' in the joints. a little short of breath and tightness of the crest. similar to a mild flu and a feeling a little lethargic.
Think back to when u last frying something up hot enough to throw off a bit of cooking smoke. How many times did you think in passing, "gee hope this is not a flu I'm getting" and then forgot about it, cause it didn't come to anything? We did...
Also if cured pans, utensils are over heated they will also give off fumes with the same result. The temperatures at which these gases are given off are just BELOW those that u need to cook your bacon if u like it 'crispy', or u if like your steak well done on the outside.
Also note the break down and release of these fumes starts at just over 300 deg C
Frying eggs or pancakes is ok...so long as u do have something in the pan cooking... when it is mt, the pan over heats FAST and gives off toxic fumes.
Teflon is not good for your pets, you or your family..Dupont say different..Athu they to warn about over heating.
I strongly suggest that you follow up with a little Google search/surfing of your own. ' Teflon +poisoning '
Teflon doesn't pass thru the body readily, it accumulates, the majority of the modern population has varing levels of Teflon deposits in the body now..what the long term effects are...well its the next generations that will know that in retrospect.
We dumped Teflon from our kitchen some 15 yrs ago, our children are unusually healthy,(doctors comment)and so is myself and Wife, we only see the Doctor for vaccinations, or accidents...we get the rare mild cold, haven't had the flu or been sick for yrs now...we are smokers, I'm in my mid 50s...everything says we shouldn't be like this!! Our friends and extended family are not like this.
What did the old coal miners use to test for toxic gases? canarys, if it fell to the floor of the cage they just got out of there FAST! Why a cannery? because it was far more sensitive than bigger birds/animals..yet we have large birds dieing.
I just wonder how many times ones pet bird just doesn't look well, for no reason, then the next day has perked up again, so we just 'let it go' and no need to follow up.

The best sol'n is dump your Teflon pans and go back to the old fashioned non stick pans...CAST IRON.

For those who don't know how to use cast iron pans...
Preparation of New Cast Iron Pans.
When u 1st get it, fill it 3/4 with good cooking oil then heat until the oil is just hot enough to see a little smoke whispering off the surface. Maintain this temp for about 20 minutes, and let cool down.

Cleaning Cast Iron
When using the pan NEVER clean with soap/detergents or put in the dishwasher. The best way is let cool down a little, throw under running water, but still hot enough to get a good 'sizzle' and use the dishwashing brush and give a good scrub around, give a good shake while the pan is still warm and put away, the remaining moisture dries out quickly. Don't put away cold and still damp.
If u have not cleaned the pan immediately after use, put a little water in the pan, bring to the boil, give a scrub out with the dishwasher brush, rinse off and put away.
Modern plastic brushes do loose their stiffness in the bristles over several weeks.
If you do use detergents to clean, it will take several uses as described above to get back to non stick...or u may have to redo as for a new pan.

Be warned, Teflon kills your pets...
"The lungs hemorrhage, fill with fluid, and the pet suffocates quickly..no cure.....
Just Dead."