Question about non-stick cookware

Smerft85

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I know the teflon is toxic at some point when cooking, my question is, how far away from the birds would it need to be used to keep them safe? Different ends of the house enough, or would different building be the needed step. I've been curious about this for a while now.
 

Jen5200

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Using Teflon anywhere that the fumes could reach the birds is risky, there is no set distance identified. Some people say they use them in the house and it hasnā€™t affected their birds, and for others the first time is fatal. Itā€™s not a risk that I take and I just replaced the items in my house with Teflon. You would be looking for items that are both PFOA and PFTE free to be safe.
 

noodles123

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different building- there are numerous documented cases of birds being killed on separate floors through shut doors.
 

munami

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As noodles has stated, there are people who have had their birds a floor away, in closed rooms.
There are plenty of bird safe options out there. Some people swear by cast iron or stainless steel but PTFE PFOA free ceramic is what I use with PTFE PFOA free aluminum baking trays/molds.
 

noodles123

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The problem is, lots of people say or think, "so and so had a bird and they used X and the bird was fine." Note: many of the people who say this speak about birds in past-tense because the birds in question eventually die "suddenly" of "unknown causes" (it's like they never connect the dots).
My mom likes to talk about how they supposedly used Teflon around my uncle's old African Grey when he visited on holidays (because she gets irritated with my no Teflon rule when I visit with the bird)- even though that bird had plenty of health issues, despite the fact that my uncle didn't use Teflon at home...Honestly, they lucked out (and most of their pots at the time were not teflon anyway)
Teflon is super dangerous and it is not worth the risk. To some extent, each bird is different (but it is absolutely toxic to all of them).
Variables that can impact a birds reaction: bird size DOES matter, as does current health, as does the state of the pan, as does the temperature, as does the acidity of the food, as does the time heated, as does the fat content of the food, as does the ventilation in the house...but no matter what, if you cook with it, there will likely be some off-gassing.
There are just too many variables that it is impossible to use Teflon safely and for many birds, use of a brand-new pan (no burnt food required) results in death...It takes VERY little to kill a bird and there is no cure (as it coats the lungs).
There was recently a user on this forum whose husband cooked an egg in the same pan that he had used many times before and seemingly out of the blue, it killed all of her birds (all in separate rooms with doors shut). Teflon toxicosis was the vet's verdict...so, that pan had appeared to be "safe" based on previous uses, but there is too much that we can't control----the egg wasn't burned, and the pan wasn't visibly scratched, yet in 5 minutes, it took them all out...The off-gassing can happen as low as 300 F and documented bird deaths start far lower than the temperatures quoted on DuPont's website, which makes it even less trustworthy.
Bird have also died from space-heaters, heat lamps coated in Teflon etc etc, so it isn't just your kitchen you need to consider.

That is the risk you take. Again, it is important to understand that just because a bird survives the use of a Teflon pan one or more times, does not mean that you will always be so lucky. If it contains Teflon/PFOA/PTFE, it is like playing Russian roulette with your bird's life with every use.

If you are intimidated by the cost of getting new cookware, get Revere-ware at thrift stores. It is high-quality stainless and it won't break your bank.
 
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Kiwibird

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Teflon fumes are odorless and generally have no effect on larger mammals like dogs, cats and humans. They can quickly and silently permeate an entire home and no one would know until the bird is dying/dead. Teflon is NOT safe to use in a home with birds no matter how far away they are. Get new pans.

I personally like/use triply stainless. No coatings to chip off, though there are some newer ceramics that are bird safe, but they will chip, scratch and generally loose their effectiveness over time and use. If you buy quality stainless multiply pans, you will get a lifetime of use out of them. I got mine at Sur La Table years ago on clearance. They now sell a newer design but you can often find sales there. I also have 360 bakeware and all clad bakeware. Aluminum, stainless, glass or stoneware bakeware is the more economical bird safe route as triply bakeware is hard to find and expensive if you donā€™t bake very often (but super worth it if you love baking like I do!). My pans and bakeware have proven virtually indestructible, it was a big upfront cost, but I have never regretted investing in quality for something we use constantly day in day out. Thereā€™s a learning curve to stainless for sure, but I never have sticking issues with mine (the bakeware is so good, I donā€™t even have to grease it). On the rare occasion Iā€™m not paying attention and something sticks/burns on, theyā€™re very easy to clean by simply soaking overnight and scraping with a pan scraper. Iā€™ve only had to use more drastic measures once for severely burnt on (like 1/4ā€ thick coating) oatmeal and even then, pan came back to brand new inside using soaking, barkeepers friend and some elbow grease.
 
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ParrotGenie

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Teflon fumes are odorless and generally have no effect on larger mammals like dogs, cats and humans. They can quickly and silently permeate an entire home and no one would know until the bird is dying/dead. Teflon is NOT safe to use in a home with birds no matter how far away they are. Get new pans.

I personally like/use triply stainless. No coatings to chip off, though there are some newer ceramics that are bird safe, but they will chip, scratch and generally loose their effectiveness over time and use. If you buy quality stainless multiply pans, you will get a lifetime of use out of them. I got mine at Sur La Table years ago on clearance. They now sell a newer design but you can often find sales there. I also have 360 bakeware and all clad bakeware. Aluminum, stainless, glass or stoneware bakeware is the more economical bird safe route as triply bakeware is hard to find and expensive if you donā€™t bake very often (but super worth it if you love baking like I do!). My pans and bakeware have proven virtually indestructible, it was a big upfront cost, but I have never regretted investing in quality for something we use constantly day in day out. Thereā€™s a learning curve to stainless for sure, but I never have sticking issues with mine (the bakeware is so good, I donā€™t even have to grease it). On the rare occasion Iā€™m not paying attention and something sticks/burns on, theyā€™re very easy to clean by simply soaking overnight and scraping with a pan scraper. Iā€™ve only had to use more drastic measures once for severely burnt on (like 1/4ā€ thick coating) oatmeal and even then, pan came back to brand new inside using soaking, barkeepers friend and some elbow grease.

Agreed and what I use pretty much and what I recommend to others.
 

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Teflon (aka PTFE) and other non stick coatings pervade a lot of modern appliances and products. besides cook ware, it is on the inside of microwave popcorn bags, bottom of irons, on heating elements of hair dryers and forced ait heaters. Not only used for its non stick properties, it is also used as a corrosin preventer.

Be sure - none of these products and others affected have any business in a home with birds. Be sure -having a companion parrot die from something stupid and preventable is aboutt the worst feeling one could have.
 
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Smerft85

Smerft85

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These are the answers I absolutely was looking for, all my non-stainless will be going to my mother, three counties away! I guess the next question is, how long can the offgassing from it stay present in the home? If you cooked two days before a new bird would it still be potentially dangerous,and if so, how would one rid a home of the danger in a hurry? You guys are awesome!
 

Jen5200

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Baby - Sun Conure;
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Screamer Ć¢ā‚¬Å“ScreeĆ¢ā‚¬ļæ½ - Cockatiel;
Tee - Pineapple GCC; Jimmy - Cockatiel
Three counties away sounds like the perfect distance for anything with non-stick coatings :). I donā€™t believe that the fumes hang out very long - but Iā€™d give the house a bit of an airing to be sure. Just a side note - some toaster ovens, space heaters and hair dryers also have teflon and get heated up.....just do a check of anything in your house that gets ā€œhotā€. I replaced my toaster oven, got rid of my griddle, checked the toaster and chucked my hair dryer.
 

noodles123

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I don't know how long the fumes stick around exactly, but I wouldn't bring my bird around for 24 hours or so...Just to make sure things had time to really air-out. Again, that is just a guess.
 

Kiwibird

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Teflon fumes donā€™t linger long after the source (overheated Teflon product) is no longer above the temperature required to off gas. I wouldnā€™t worry about residual fumes. I also wouldnā€™t inflict the Teflon pans on your mom. They need to go to the dump. Teflon is acutely toxic to birds, but more and more studies are coming out showing it is also toxic over longer periods of time to humans as well. When the pans chip and flake and leech into the food through use, those chemicals linger and poison the body. Theyā€™re now linking Teflon exposure to cancer, endocrine and reproductive issues in humans. Sadly, much like whatā€™s happening right now with glyphosate and Monsanto (now merged with Bayer), Dow chemical/DuPont/3M, the makers of Teflon products, have bottomless pockets to fund their own biased research and line the coffers of watchdog organizations to get them to discredit smaller independent studies and deem their unsafe products as ā€œsafeā€.
 
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HannahandSunny

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Do you guys think Teflon products would also be harmful for small animals, such as my Guinea pigs?
 

munami

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If research suggests it's toxic to humans, I imagine it's toxic to any animal. Just birds have much more delicate respiratory systems can have fatal instant effects. It's just too easy to overheat a pan.
 

noodles123

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Do you guys think Teflon products would also be harmful for small animals, such as my Guinea pigs?

It is more toxic to birds due to their respiratory systems. That having been said, it is toxic to humans as well and it can cause "Teflon Flu" when overheated. Even small mammals are far less of a risk than birds, but due to their size, I am not sure if they are worse-off than larger mammals. That having been said, people use it around human infants (who often come out around 6-10 lbs) and if it were as dangerous to human babies as it is to birds, the company would definitely have to post a warning.

In general, it's bad news for all animals (humans too), but it isn't going to be as fatal for all animals.

I know I didn't answer your question really, but that is my thought process.
 

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