Worried about PTFE and my senegal parrot

[Konasmom]

I am a relatively new bird owner and have never had a pet before and am extra paranoid about everything. I have a 1year old Senegal Parrot named Kona. I wanted to know if any of you can recommend a good toaster oven that is non PTFE. I am also really worried about moving into our new house next May as we are going to have brand new appliances, carpet in basement and upper floor. The bird will be housed on the main floor (hardwood and tile) but their is a natural gas fireplace.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

Also on a side note, Kona went in for his 2nd checkup with our avian vet and had a high WBC count (26000) and he is on his second round of antibiotics (we gave him a sulpha antibiotic first and he is now on a floaxcin for 21 days). We are doing everything by the book and have no idea why he is sick. I can only hope he gets better after this round. My husband and I try to take such good care of him, he's on Harrison's organic pellets and eats fruits and veggies, and we are super hygenic when it comes to cleaning up his cage and got rid of all our teflon cookware, have no chemicals/scents, etc.

[NaniOokami]

I'm not sure of exact brands of toaster ovens, but I know mine's a cheapie and doesn't have a nonstick coating at all on it. I'm pretty sure most don't, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[tishtash]

I wasnt aware that toaster ovens contain PTFE to begin with. I'll look out for that.

[kellywess]

I too have a cheapy its a "Euro-Pro" that I got at Bed Bath and Beyond for like $40.00 with one of their 20% off coupons and it can hold a small pizza. Being bird owners can save you money on some things. Its all aluminum. But I did take it out to the garage to heat it up to max temp for the first time to burn anything off it might had on it from the factory before bringing it inside.

[hollyhawkz]

We had our gas fireplace disconected as even when not on, there is still a pilot light burning. Oh man it's hard, even toasters have PTFE's

THE SILENT KILLER
By Joanie Doss

The Silent Killer, by Joanie Doss

It makes no sound and has no smell. Polytetraflouethylene (Teflon fumes) is deadly for your birds. A bird's size and lung capacity make him more sensitive to the toxins in our environment. It was for this reason that coal miners would take a canary down into the mines with them. If the bird became sick or died, they knew it was dangerous for them to be in that mine.

Polytetraflouethylene is known by the brand name Teflon and most bird owners realize that using products that have this coating cannot safely be used around birds. However, there are many other brand names that are also polytetraflouethylene. Some of these are: Silverstone, Fluron, Supra, Excalibur, Greblon, Xylon, Duracote, Resistal, Autograph and T-Fal are just a few. These coatings are used primarily to keep things from sticking.

The San Antonio Zoo in Texas lost 21 birds in an outdoor aviary awhile back. Their death was caused when the birds gathered by lights that the zoo had installed so that the birds could warm themselves in an outdoor aviary. The bulbs had been coated with Polytetraflouethylene. Phillips standard red heating lamps have a coating of Teflon. The FDA now requires that bulbs be given a Teflon coating as a shatter shield when used around food. If you are planning to use a light to help warm a brooder or keep a sick bird warm, look it over carefully and read the box to see if Teflon has been used. If it does not have a box or does not say it has a special coating, check the bulb itself. The Teflon coated ones have a bubbly or cloudy surface. They may use one of the other brand names for Polytetraflouethylene so remember that just because it doesn't say Teflon it doesn't mean that it is safe to use around birds.

PTFE was discovered in 1941. Basically this is a plastic. Teflon is the trademark for a tetrafluoroeghylene resin with a high resistance to heat and corrosive chemicals. It was originally used in wire insulation, cable spacers, gaskets and in other applications in the chemical industry. It then became popular as a non-stick coating for cook ware.

In 1951 the first case of human suffering from tetrafluoroethylene problems was reported. It produces flu like symptoms in humans. The tetrafluoroethylene lingers long after the product has been removed. It can remain in carpeting and draperies for some time.

Birds die an extremely painful and agonizing death when exposed to these fumes. This product may not kill all the birds at the same time. The toxins travel on air currants. The currant can by-pass one bird and come in contact with another. The fumes swirl on these air currants similar to the way that smoke would. The bird does not have to be in the room where the fumes originate as they can be carried into various parts of the house on these air currants. Smaller birds can take less of the fumes than a larger bird, but even a small amount of exposure can kill a large bird.

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.

Some Products That Use Polytetraflouethylene
Baseboard Heaters
Blow Dryers
Bread Makers
Broiler Pans
Burners on Stove Tops
Coffee Makers
Corkscrews
Crock Pots
Deep Fryers
Drip Pans for Burners
Electric Skillets
Griddles
Heat lamps
Hot Air Popcorn Poppers
Ironing board covers
Lollipop Moulds
Many cooking utensils
Never-Stick-Stainless Steel
Non-stick rolling pins
Non-stick gingerbread moulds
Oven liners
Pizza pans
Portable heaters
Roasters
Steam Cleaning Equip
Sole plates on irons
Stockpots
Toasters
Tortilla presses
Woks
Waffle makers

And I am sure there are many more!

[Monica]

The best thing you can do is to contact the manufacturer of the product and ask them if the product contains PTFE or PFOA.

I'm not sure where this list came from, but it may be of help!

This is just a brief list of Hazards and Household Toxins

• Acetone (nail polish remover)
• Aerosols
• Alcohol
• Algae toxins
• Ammonia
• Amphetamines
• Ant syrup or paste
• Antifreeze
• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Aspirin
• Auto products
• Bathroom cleaners
• Bleach
• Boric acid
• Caffeine
• Camphopenique
• Candles (scented)
• Carbon monoxide
• Carbon tetrachloride
• Carpet cleaners
• Carpet freshens
• Charcoal fluids
• Chlorine
• Cigarette smoke
• Clinitest tablets
• Copper & brass cleaners
• Corn & wart removers
• Cosmetics
• Crayons
• DDT
• Deodorants
• Detergents
• Diazinon
• Disinfectants
• Drain cleaner
• Epoxy glue
• Fabreeze
• Fabric softeners
• Felt tip markers
• Firecrackers
• Flea products
• Floor polish
• Formaldehyde
• Fluoracetates
• Furniture polish
• Garbage toxins
• Garden sprays
• Gasoline
• Gun cleaners
• Hair dyes & sprays
• Herbicides
• Hexachloraphene (in some soaps)
• Indelible markers
• Insecticides
• Iodine
• Kerosene
• Lighter fluid
• Linoleum
• Lye
• Matches
• Medicines/RX drugs
• Melaleuca oil
• Model cement
• Mothballs
• Muriatic acid
• Mushroom (many wild ones) Nail polish & remover
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Oven cleaners
• Paint (lead based)
• Perfumes
• Permanents for hair
• Pesticides
• Photo solutions/chemicals
• Pine oil
• Paint remover/thinner
• Rat/Roach/Mouse poison
• Rubbing alcohol
• Red squill
• Scented candles
• Shaving lotion
• Shellac
• Shoe polish
• Sleeping pills
• Smoke
• Snail bait
• Spot removers
• Spray starch
• Strychnine
• Sulfuric acid
• Suntan lotions/oils
• Surgical acrylics
• Tea tree oil
• Thallium
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Turpentine
• Waxes
• Weed killer
• Window cleaners
• Wood preservatives

Keep in mind that birds do not need to ingest these toxins - breathing the fumes can be enough to cause death. Basically anything that smells toxic, don't take a chance!!!

Other Common Hazards

• Animal- cat & dog saliva)
• Aquariums if uncovered- birds can?t swim)
• Carpet if toenails will snag
• Carpet fresh products
• Ceiling fans
• Children- unless they are supervised and/or know how to handle birds- age and maturity of the child is important but don?t forget they have friends who should not handle the bird without your supervision
• Chimneys/Fireplace/Wood stoves
• Curtains or drapes if toenails can get caught
• Electrical cords- may be electrocuted and could start a fire
• Electrical fixtures, appliances and wires
• Feet- watch the floor even if you think the bird is on its T-stand. If you leave it even for a minute, it may come looking for you
• Fannies- look where you sit
• Hair spray and other sprays
• Jewelry of all kinds- looks so pretty and sparkly- it may be easily swallowed
• Lead- don?t forget the lead weights used in drapes
• Mirrors
• Phone cords- easy to strangle
• Plug-in air fresheners
• Pots and skillets on the kitchen stove
• Pots and skillets, even those not coated in Teflon have plastic handles- don?t let the handle get too hot

PTFE - Polytetrafluoroethylene - Fumes given off by non-stick pans (Teflon & Silverstone) that is overheated to 536 degrees or higher. (280 or higher, Celsius). Very toxic to birds, death can occur within minutes. There is no cure for birds that inhale the fumes- they recover on their own or they die.

• Self-cleaning ovens- be sure your bird is outside when you clean the oven- the fumes are toxic
• Space heaters
• Stained glass decorations if they contain lead
• Stove tops- hot burners
• Windows- open or closed

Teflon coating is on many new appliances- hand held hair dryers, toasters, room or space heaters, electric appliances (electric stir-fry pans may not have to be overheated to give off deadly fumes), non-stick coated irons and ironing board covers, etc., etc., etc.

[TheZooCrew]

Holy Cow that is a long list!