It makes me wonder what it's doing to us?! I always thought teflon was safe, but when I got my birds I was warned about using it around them. It can give off gasses that can kill them. Well, in spite of being careful the fry daddy was accidentally left plugged in for 45 minutes after using it. During its use I had opened the windows and my parrot was outside, the little budgies were in another room. So after cooking I closed the house and prepared to go for a jog. I asked dh to check the fryer as I left the house, and he apparently forgot to and claims I never asked him. 
In any case, I came back and was hit by a strong smell of hot oil heavy in the house. I opened the windows, put the birds outside, and turned fans on. Usually birds who get poisoned will drop dead within minutes or hours. I figured since they looked okay, they were.
Gradually my parrot started to look poorly. Dh noticed he kept falling off his shoulder and we examined his feet and found nothing. He started to breath in a wheeze but it was so faint and infrequent I thought I was imagining it. Then yesterday he was puffed up and sleeping a lot and sneezing. I though maybe a little cold. Today he stopped calling and now I can hear the wheeze and a clicking sound. So, off to the vet. The vet verified that he had been poisoned by teflon. The capillaries in his lungs have burst and there is fluid and mucous in the lungs, but he should be okay with rest. He's very lucky.
The vet said teflon is bad stuff for people, too. It doesn't cause immediate damage but has been linked to all kinds of bad things. If it can harm birds, I'm sure it's harming us more slowly. The teflon pans are going in the trash today. I'm keeping the fryer but will only use it on the back patio, not in the house.
I just wanted to pass on this health warning. Having grown up using teflon I'm now worried about long term side effects.
Also, you are supposed to throw out your pans if they are more than 5 years old or start to peel off.
In any case, I came back and was hit by a strong smell of hot oil heavy in the house. I opened the windows, put the birds outside, and turned fans on. Usually birds who get poisoned will drop dead within minutes or hours. I figured since they looked okay, they were.Gradually my parrot started to look poorly. Dh noticed he kept falling off his shoulder and we examined his feet and found nothing. He started to breath in a wheeze but it was so faint and infrequent I thought I was imagining it. Then yesterday he was puffed up and sleeping a lot and sneezing. I though maybe a little cold. Today he stopped calling and now I can hear the wheeze and a clicking sound. So, off to the vet. The vet verified that he had been poisoned by teflon. The capillaries in his lungs have burst and there is fluid and mucous in the lungs, but he should be okay with rest. He's very lucky.
The vet said teflon is bad stuff for people, too. It doesn't cause immediate damage but has been linked to all kinds of bad things. If it can harm birds, I'm sure it's harming us more slowly. The teflon pans are going in the trash today. I'm keeping the fryer but will only use it on the back patio, not in the house.
I just wanted to pass on this health warning. Having grown up using teflon I'm now worried about long term side effects.
Also, you are supposed to throw out your pans if they are more than 5 years old or start to peel off.
