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Polymer fume fever or fluoropolymer fever, also informally called Teflon flu, is an inhalation fever caused by the fumes released when
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, known under the trade name
Teflon
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemo ...
) reaches temperatures of 300 °C (572 °F) to 450 °C (842 °F).
Fever
When PTFE is heated above 450 °C the
pyrolysis
The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements ''py ...
products are different and inhalation may cause
acute lung injury
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin colo ...
.
Symptoms are
flu-like (chills, headaches and fevers) with chest tightness and mild cough. Onset occurs about 4 to 8 hours after exposure to the
pyrolysis
The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements ''py ...
products of PTFE. A
high white blood cell count may be seen and chest x-ray findings are usually minimal.
The polymer fumes are especially harmful to certain animals whose
breathing, optimized for rapidity, allows toxins which are excluded by
human lungs. Fumes from Teflon in very high heat are fatal to
parrots
Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...
, as well as some other birds (PTFE toxicosis).
See also
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Cooking oil#Cooking with oil
*
Metal fume fever
Metal fume fever, also known as brass founders' ague, brass shakes, zinc shakes, galvie flu, galvo poisoning, metal dust fever, welding shivers, or Monday morning fever, is an illness primarily caused by exposure to chemicals such as zinc oxide (Zn ...
References
Further reading
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External links
{{Health issues of plastics
Respiratory diseases
Toxicology
Organofluorides