Can toxic fumes from your nonstick pan make you sick with the flu? While it may seem unheard of, this bizarre illness has been affecting many Americans. As per a Dailymail report, Teflon flu, also known as polymer fume fever, resulted in hospitalization of over 250 Americans last year. The symptoms of this disease include headache, body aches, fever, chills and shivers.
Wonder what puts you at risk of Teflon flu? As the name suggests it's your Teflon cookware that could make you susceptible to this disease if used improperly. Overheating nonstick cookware or scratching the teflon pans can cause the chemicals in the coating to break down. These chemicals can get released in the air upon heating and inhaling these toxic fumes can cause flu-like symptoms.
The nonstick coating made from 'forever chemicals', of PFAS, could get deep inside the body where they cannot be broken down. While scientists are still trying to find how this happens, it may be due to the irritation caused by chemicals in the lungs that can cause flu-like symptoms.
Symptoms of Teflon flu may develop immediately or after some time of the exposure.
What is Teflon?
Teflon is a synthetic chemical containing carbon and fluorine called polytetrafluoroethylene. It provides a nonreactive, nonstick and frictionless surface. The nonstick surface makes cooking convenient for people.
How's nonstick pan causing this illness
Cooking in a nonstick pan coated with a material polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), commonly known as Teflon is safe. However, when a nonstick pan is heated at temperature above 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the coating on some nonstick pans may begin to deteriorate and release a very complex mix of oxidized, fluorinated substances in the air. Inhaling these harmful substances in the form of fumes may be detrimental for the people who are exposed to them on a regular basis.
People should avoid heating Teflon pan to a high temperature. Also refrain from preheating nonstick pans as empty nonstick pans can reach high temperatures in a very short time. Therefore, you should always heat with food, butter or oil already in it.
Who is at risk of this disease?
Fumes emitted from heated metal and burning plastic products can put people at the risk of flu-like illnesses. People who weld metal at work are at greater risk of metal fume fever as some workers do not have the right protective equipment to prevent effects from exposure to the fumes. They are exposed to a wide variety of metals including copper, iron, aluminum, and tin while welding work. People who overheat PTFE (Teflon)-coated cookware may also suffer from Teflon flu. So, people should get away from the source of the fumes.
Symptoms of Teflon fever
“Patients may manifest common symptoms like fever and chills, cough, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, headache, dizziness, fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, muscle and joint aches several hours after they are exposed to metal fumes," says Dr Santosh Kumar Aggarwal, Senior Consultant-Internal Medicine, Marengo Asia Hospitals Faridabad.
