Have you ever heard of polymer fume fever?
It is a type of illness that you could be exposed to if you cook with a non-stick pan.
The condition is colloquially referred to as “Teflon Flu” named after the trademarked name of the popular nonstick coating.
Most non-stick pans are coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which when overheated is associated with polymer fume fever.
According to the American Poison Centers, a nonprofit organization, there has been an uptick in the number of reported cases of the illness over the last year, said to be the highest in over two decades.
While some studies have said that PTFE are safe to cook with, they have also revealed that at very high temperatures the coating on pans can degrade and begin t potentially release harmful fumes.
Symptoms of polymer-fume fever include chest tightness, a choking sensation, dry cough, fever, chills, and pains in the joints.
These symptoms tend to begin several hours after exposure and resolve within a day or two.
In a 1987 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) put out by the US government agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, polymer-fume fever is associated with cigarette smoking and the use of tetrafluoroethylene.
The MMWR revealed that workers in a Mississippi plastic factory had fallen ill after working with a mold-release spray that had a small amount (less than 1%) of tetrafluoroethylene.
