I know that I won’t throw out my Teflon just like I won’t stop eating fish since some studies have shown that it can cause cancer and I won’t stop eating eggs because some studies say that it can cause high cholesterol and I won’t stop using antiperspirants with aluminum because some studies have said it can cause alzheimers.

If I believed all of these studies I wouldn’t leave my house.

Environmental News Service
Published May 13, 2008
A chemical used to make non-stick coating for pots and pans, food wrappers and stain-resistant fabrics may harm the immune system, liver and thyroid and cause higher cholesterol in children, according to the initial findings of a study of 69,000 people who live near a DuPont manufacturing plant.

The health effects observed … are believed to have been caused by exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, also known as C8, …PFOA is one of a class of perfluorinated chemicals used to make Teflon coating and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant fabrics. http://www.ewg.org/node/26553

http://www.rebeccashealthyfoodblog.com/2008/01/dangers-of-teflon.html

Friday, January 18, 2008
The Dangers of Teflon

Many of us have cookware with Teflon coating and you will definitely want to get rid of it after reading this. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is the chemical, which makes things “non-stick.” According to some advisers to the EPA it should be classified as a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance). But instead of banning it, the EPA has decided that the companies using Teflon should make it less likely to break down and they have until 2015 to do so.

Within two to five minutes on a stove, cookware coated with Teflon can exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart. At these high temperatures the pans emit toxic particles and gases linked to thousands of pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesses each year. In recent tests a generic non-stick frying pan heated on an electric stovetop burner reached 736°F in just over three minutes. At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA which is a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. At higher temperatures non-stick coatings break down to a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB, and a chemical analog of the WWII nerve gas phosgene. Looking for options, try stainless steel.
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The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit consumer safety organization, has reviewed 16 peer-reviewed studies detailing experiments conducted over the past 50 years, showing that heated Teflon decomposes to 15 types of toxic gases and particles. Non-stick pans begin producing dangerous toxins within just two minutes of heating. In just the first five minutes, they release at least six toxic chemicals including two carcinogens, two global pollutants and a deadly chemical called MFA, which can kill human beings at very low doses

DuPont scientists list the hallmark human symptoms of polymer fume fever as tightness of chest, malaise, shortness of breath, headache, cough, chills, temperatures between 100 and 104°F, and sore throat, based on a survey of complaints registered by workers who were struck by the illness. Based on this suite of symptoms, cases of polymer fume fever from home exposures could easily be mistaken for the common flu. The toxic particles and gases identified as Teflon offgas products, and the temperature at which they are first identified in the studies reviewed, are shown below,
 
http://tuberose.com/Teflon.html
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When the report first circulated about Teflon causing bird deaths, it was thought that very high heat was needed to release the deadly fumes. Now there are reports that temperatures as low as 285 degrees can cause death to birds.
Teflon starts emitting fumes from the start of heating. It does not have to be a high temperature or for an extended length of time to cause death to your bird. Small birds breathing these fumes for only a few seconds took as long as 24 hours to die.
Many people think that Teflon is only dangerous if the pan burns. This danger lurks in other products besides cookware. These do not have to operate at a high temperature to cause damage to your birds. I have listed some products that use polytetraflouethylene. Not all of these use this coating nor are these the only places that it is used. Carefully read all products that you buy before you use them around your bird. If in doubt, call up the manufacturer and asked what he has used in the product.

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(NaturalNews) There seems to be more evidence mounting in the ongoing Perflurooctanoic Acid (PFOA) debate. PFOA is used in the production of Teflon and other non-stick surfaces and is found in the packaging of candy bars, microwave popcorn, fast food packaging like french fry and pizza boxes, bakery items, drinks, paper plates, and a host of “stain resistant” products such as carpets. Other well-known brand names containing PFOA include Stainmaster, Scotchgard, SilverStone, Fluron, Supra, Excalibur, Greblon, Xylon, Duracote, Resistal, Autograph and T-Fal.

Although the DuPont Corporation has stated that PFOA is only used in the manufacturing process and should not be found in the final products, it must be noted that the chemical is found in the bloodstream of 95% of American men, women, and children. It seems that no one is quite certain how the chemical residue has made it into the bloodstream of such a large number of people if it is not located in the final product. Research has shown that PFOA was still present in the blood for approximately four years after exposure and levels were only reduced by half. It has been implicated by some research to cause increased instances of cancer in the pancreas, liver, testicles, and mammary glands. Also increased were instances of miscarriage, weight loss, thyroid problems, weaker immune systems, and low organ weights.
http://www.naturalnews.com/022645.html

Chemical Compound in Dupont’s Teflon a Likely Carcinogen
The Environmental Protection Agency’s own scientific advisory panel has identified perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical compound used to make Teflon, as a “likely carcinogen” in a report it plans to submit to the agency
http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/dupont070105.cfm

suggesting that teflon should not be heated above 350C. You mention not to cook above 300F for concerns with pets. Did you mean 300F or did you mean 300C? I realize pets probably cannot take fumes as well as humans so it is probably accurate to state 300F. Just checking. Thank you for your help.