Is cooking with teflon toxic to birds?

Question

an email is going around saying that any form of cooking using teflon pans and oven mats emits toxic fumes that can be fatal to pet birds.

Answer 1

Yes, all nonstick cookware contains a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid also known as PFOA or C-8. When nonstick cookware is burned it can release this chemical as fumes which can kill your birds. Birds have super sensitive respiratory symptoms so very little is needed to kill them. Interestingly, people can also be affected by these fumes in high enough concentrations. Humans will get flu like symptoms but usually recover in a few days. Truthfully, recent research indicates that using nonstick cookware may not be good for us humans, either!

Experts disagree on whether these pans release the fumes only when burned dry at high temps (such as when someone forgets a pot on the stove) or if the fumes are actually released at normal cooking temps. There are many tales of woe where people have used nonstick cookware for years with no problem and then one day their bird collapsed and died. Sometimes this occurred in a large house with the bird located at the far end of the house from the kitchen. I even read one account where a neighbor burned a nonstick pot next door and the fumes entered the open window and killed a beloved pet bird. I must emphasise that if your bird is affected by these fumes the damage is irreversible. The vet can do nothing. The bird's lungs will fill with fluid and the bird will literally drown. An avian vet will tell you not to chance it - get rid of all the nonstick cookware. Good quality stainless steel and properly seasoned cast iron is really no more difficult to clean.

Special note: Keep an eye out for Teflon in other products, as well. Teflon is now being used in such items as space heaters, hair dryers, furnaces, stoves, etc. Using these items around your birds can also be fatal!

Answer 2

Teflon can kill all birds immediately. fumes from other products coated with Teflon, (pans, irons and ironing board covers) can also kill a parrot. Even fumes generated by oven cleaner can kill. Any cookware labeled "nonstick" emits an odorless fume that when heated can kill, new research now shows that they are emitted at low levels of heat and do not have to be overheated. Using Teflon bake wear in the oven runs the same risk with the fumes. I always have my African Grey in a different room with the doors closed when I am cooking, but it would be better to not have Teflon coated pans and use stainless steel instead, it would be much safer.

Answer 3

Yes, it is very toxic and can kill your bird a seconds. Overheated Teflon can cause almost instant death of your bird. Your bird should never be anywhere near Teflon or other non-stick cookware when it is being used.
Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems and the same precautions should be taken for your birds as are taken for a person suffering from asthma.Almost all fumes are bad for birds,paint,nail varnish and remover,hairspray,household cleaners etc. Every care should be taken if you own pet birds.

Answer 4

YES! Teflon Fumes can kill your birds in minutes! Mostly if it is overheated or something gets burned, but why take the chance! I am never sure which pans with nonstick inside are teflon or not. if they say teflon, I don't buy them. I am still very careful, and don't burn food or heat pans with nothing in them. Birds are very sensitive to things that don't seem to bother us. I err on the side of caution.

Answer 5

Yes birds are susceptible to a respiratory condition called "teflon toxicity"or PTFE poisoning/toxicosis. Death can result from this condition,which is due to the noxious fumes emitted from overheated cookware coated with Polytetrafluoroethylene.

Answer 6

Extremely dangerous for birds especially, but also for humans. Make sure you either have an externally vented fan running in the area, or plenty of ventilation with fresh air. It's hard not to use some sort of teflon cooking equipment nowadays, and if you must, make sure the pan is not over-heated, or left on heat, with nothing in it. The smoke, and vapors from over-heated cooking oils, and grease,etc. also needs to be vented to the outside!!! Birdman

Answer 7

It's true however, I believe the pan has to actually overheat and the bird has to be in the same room- my blue crown conure is 14 years old and I have been using teflon forever with no side affects.

Answer 8

Lyric is correct in everything she has said. "Anything" teflon isn't safe for birds and it has been proven but it makes me wonderful what does it do to humans over a longer period of time.
Candles or anything else that emits fumes is also deadly to birds!

Answer 9

I have a parakeet manual, reputable, that states that yes, it is toxic to them, but as long as they are far enough away, [a bird should never be kept in the kitchen] they should be fine.

Answer 10

Yes....I don't take any chances. I use cast iron and stainless steel cookware.