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It's true. At high temperatures (I think around 500F) teflon evaporates and creates toxic fumes. The usual cause for teflon-coated products getting this hot is leaving a pan on the stove and letting the food burn off or evaporate. It is probably harmful to humans as well, in high enough quantities, but even the smallest amount can kill your birds. There was a story posted here last week (I think) about someone whose bird was killed because their downstairs neighbor left a pot on the stove.
I recently bought a nice set of non-stick pots and pans for my new apartment, thinking I could trust myself not to leave them on long enough for the teflon to burn. After I tried to make pasta and accidentally turned on the wrong burner I realized that I couldn't stop accidents from happening. So my boyfriend is getting the teflonated pans and I bought myself another nice new set of pans, these ones stainless steel. They were more expensive, but will probably last longer. Besides, I realized that I'm used to cooking in a non-stick pan. I automatically use butter or oil or pam even though you shouldn't have to with teflon. So aside from having to get rid of my old (new) pans there's not much of a hassle. It's better to be safe than sorry.
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