Toxic fumes from burning non-stick frying pans sent a record number of Americans to hospital last year, with data showing that more than 250 patients were admitted with the little known condition dubbed “Teflon-flu”, which causes fever, body aches and chills.
Researchers at the US Poison Centres said the condition is rarely diagnosed because it's so hard to tell apart from other, more common illnesses.
When used properly, non-stick pans are harmless, but many consumers are unsure about how to actually treat them, leading to concern about their safety, cautioned Julie Weber, director of the Missouri Poison Centre.
There have only been 3 600 cases of suspected cases of polymer fume fever in the past couple of decades, but there were record numbers last year, reports Daily Mail.
Polymer fume fever happens when non-stick cookware is heated to more than 260 degrees C, causing the chemicals in the coating to break down and be released in clouds of smoke – which when inhaled, causes coughing, body aches, fever and chills.
The coating is made from “forever chemicals”, PFAS, which burrow deep inside the body where they cannot be broken down. Since the condition is rare, scientists are not exactly sure how it works, but theorise that it could be that the irritation the chemicals cause in the lungs leads to the flu-like symptoms.
PFAS have also been linked to health conditions like cancer, infertility and pregnancy complications.
Sometimes Teflon flu symptoms develop immediately after someone inhales these particles, but at other times, they make take hours to develop.
This makes the condition difficult to report.
“This is why they tell you not to heat your Teflon pan to a high temperature,” said Zac Hudson, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of British Columbia.
Teflon is a brand name for a specific kind of non-stick coating, and one of the most commonly known.
The amount of PFAS someone is exposed to from non-stick pans is probably less than the amount they’re exposed to form other sources, said Dan Jones, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and the associate director of the Centre for PFAS Research at Michigan State University.
“Most of us who work in the field would say it’s probably a very tiny fraction,” he told The Washington Post.
When used properly, manufacturers and scientists say these pans are safe.
But it’s easy for people to use them incorrectly – so much so that six of the scientists who spoke to The Washington Post said they avoid using them entirely.
Improper use includes exposing the pans to very high temperatures, scratching the surface with metal utensils, and using them in the oven or dishwasher.
When you overheat the pan, it causes the chemicals in the coating to break down, releasing the chemicals into the air in a white smoke. Scratching the pan can also cause little bits of PTFE to start flaking off and get into your food.
However, Ian Cousins, an environmental chemist and professor at Stockholm University, said that swallowing these flakes probably isn’t dangerous.
The PTFE chemicals are large and chemically difficult for our body to break down, which means they probably pass through your system without effecting it, Cousins said.
“I wouldn’t be concerned about that, actually. It’s just going to go straight through your body.” However, he cautioned that inhaling the fumes should still be avoided at all costs.
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