Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I did a search and nothing came up about Teflon, But I desperately need some opinions. About a monthe ago I had a cockatiel that someone had given to me (it was older) die suddenly within 4 hours of finding it sick. It was just sitting on the bottom of the cage all puffed up and it was fine and talking earlier that day. It died about 4 hours later. I was heartbroken but I just yesterday got a lutino 13 week old baby. I was doing some research and ran into the teflon information. It looks really complicated and how will you ever know if some of the stuff you already have has teflon. I have t-fal pans and cant afford to buy new ones they are 5 years old. I have a new Ronco rotisserre that I just got and used around the time my old tiel died. I am really scared and I am not sure what to do I dont want anything to happen to my new tiel but like i said i dont have the money to buy all new cookware.
Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks Elisa

If it were me I would attempt to put the bird in another room as far from the cooking as possible and have the room that you are cooking in well ventilated- either by opening a window or by running a ceiling vent fan. Once your cookware has cooled down and you are reasonably sure that the room has been sufficiently ventilated...then I would say it was safe to bring birdie back in. Also, don't overheat your teflon cookware as this cause more dangerous fumes. Also think about this...if it is killing your bird or making it sick...think about what it might be doing to you. Teflon is a vile substance that should be outlawed.

Will get you into trouble, despite the fact that the manufacturer has now finally admitted just how dangerous it is to birds (took a major lawsuit to do so).

There is a lot of info out there on it by people who will not be silenced by threats of other lawsuits however.

http://www.parrothouse.com/silentkiller.html

http://www.parrotparrot.com/birdhealth/teflon.htm

http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/

http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/ownertips.php

After reading 'Canaries in the Kitchen', you might want to consider what it is doing to the humans in your household as well.

I would follow the recommendations of removing the bird to the far end of the house, and venting in the very near future. Cooking fumes with aerosolized oils are injurious to the bird's lungs to begin with, and a kitchen is full of hazards for birds even without PTFE.

That said, I myself would start with getting rid of the worst offenders in PTFE exposure and replace them with stainless steel, cast iron, etc. Frying pans are one of THE worst culprits for PTFE as they are always heated far beyond any tolerance levels, even those stated by the manufacturer, and are frequently scratched or otherwise marred, releasing even more PTFE toxins into the environment. Then start gradually replacing them all until your household is free.

I got rid of all my non-stick cookware when I got birds, and I have all stainless steel (Revere Ware) now, except for the baking pans, which are Air Bake. I love my stainless steel, and the Air Bake pans are so superior for making cookies, etc., that I have been very glad I don't have PTFE in the house anymore.

Christmas is right around the corner? What did you ask Santa for this year? Any chance he'd splurge?

Also be aware that silicone coated cookwares can also off-gass quite a concoction of poisonous fumes,such as benzene, and I believe Tuolene. I can't find the link on that one right now. My sister and I were just discussing silicone coated light bulbs for use around birds and the off-gassing from it.

Highlights of the article:

What this means to us is that we must either throw away our PTFE coated pans, or make a promise to ourselves that we will not allow our pans to overheat. My recommendations include: 1) If you have a PTFE coated drip pan, throw it away, 2) Never boil water in a PTFE coated pan, 3) Never leave the kitchen when a PTFE coated pan is in use, 4) Cook at low or medium heat when using PTFE coated pans, 5) Use a culinary thermometer to determine the temperature at which your PTFE coated appliances (deep fryers, waffle makers) operate, 6)Never allow anyone to use PTFE coated cookware in your home unless instructed of its potential danger, 7) Ensure that your kitchen is properly ventilated, preferably by a hood that vents outdoors, and 8) If you are an absent-minded person: give your PTFE coated cookware away.

***other sources heaters, blow dryers, irons

I would like to mention a few possible alternatives to PTFE toxicity when investigating sudden death associated with respiratory disease in pet birds. First, carbon monoxide is produced by combustion from fires, engines, and central heating units. It can be fatal, but causes postmortem findings different from PTFE fumes (e.g., bright red blood and pink or red tissues). Second, burned foods and cooking oil can emit toxic particles and fumes when cooked on any type of surface heated above about 260oC (500oF).5 Never put butter or oil in a pan heated on "high," and avoid using the "self clean" mode of your oven.7 Third, small amounts of natural gas in the air have caused death in birds. Never let the pilot light of your oven, stove, water heater, or dryer go out, and make sure your birds are in a well ventilated area away from sources of natural gas and propane. Finally, fluorocarbons and particulates from hair spray, perfume, spray deodorant, Pam7 cooking oil, spray starch, and other aerosols can also cause respiratory disease and death. Never use aerosol sprays in the same room as, or in close proximity to your birds.

Read full article:

http://www.nilesanimalhospital.com/CareInfo/Avian/TeflonToxicity.html

It did however, cite several silicone coated products as relatively safe. However, if you investigate silicone further, you will discover some of the chemicals found in silicone which you may be familiar with, include: formaldehyde, polyvinyl chloride, urethane, acetone, freon, benzene, etc.

Ick! That's why I'm using stainless steel, cast iron, and glass pans myself.

I actually lost two birds when a friend who was birdsitting overheated some non-stick cookware. So caution is definately needed! Right now I have one good cast iron pan and 2 nice NOT non-stick pots and that`s just about all I use. But then again I live alone.

Be aware that cookware isn`t the only culprite anymore. Blow dryers, irons, curling irons, ironing board covers, toasters, ovens, heaters, etc... can all contain these chemicals, as can non-stick treatments for clothes, furniture and carpet. These treatments are deadly to your bird! Avoid them!
Some people have discovered (unfortunately) that though their bird is okay when they run the heater, running the heater and the iron at the same time creates a dangerous situation. So try not to run too many `heating up` appliances at once unless you know they`re teflon-free. The resulting fumes can stack until it reaches a dangeroous level.

I got rid of all my PTFE cookware. I only use copper and steel pans now. Its better for people too. PTFE's overheated can give human flu like symptoms.

Just one more thing to add to everyone else.. Just in case it wasn't clear, ANYTHING non-stick is coated in PTFE or what most people call teflon. Baking sheets, muffin tins, pots and pans, even some spatulas and untensils.. T-fal, unfortunately, is among the same category as the actual teflon pans, in fact I think the actual non-stick brand name on t-fal is teflon..

Definitely move the bird as far away from the kitchen as possible. Once you start replacing your cookware with whatever not non-stick stuff you choose it will probably take some time to adjust your cooking - one thing I noticed is that I went from a great cook to burning everything when I switched. For some reason everything burns so much faster..

My boyfriend however still insists on using his non-stick pans and we keep the bird upstairs. The kitchen is ventilated but not overly well and my budgie is healthy as she ever was.. Just move the bird and be very careful until you can switch everything over..