We have known about PTFE toxicity for more than 25 years, though not everyone keeping pet birds in a bird cage in their living rooms or kitchens is aware of the dangers faced by these birds. We still keep many household things in our homes that are capable of producing dangerous PTFE gases.
Teflon Heating Kills Birds
A family with eight Pet Birds found four of the birds dead while the family was preparing Thanksgiving dinner. It happened even when the windows were open as per directions. It all started when one of the family members noticed that one bird in a bird cage was having problems while standing. It was only after opening the rest of the windows that the rest of the birds were saved.
Birds were Used to Protect Us
The microscopic tests on the bird's lungs confirmed inhalation of toxic gases, which originated from toxic non-stick coating of the oven. Even in the older days birds were used by humans to detect toxic gases, though the birds suffered frequent fatalities. Now it's our turn to protect the birds, as in the long run, we'll be protecting humans themselves. There have been instances when humans too have been poisoned by PTFE (also known as Teflon) gases.
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
When non-stick coating surfaces are heated over to 260 degrees Celsius, toxic gases are released which can kill the birds in a matter of minutes. In most of the cases, many of the birds died in their bird cage instantly, and the pet owners had no chance of providing any medical intervention whatsoever. The negative environmental fallouts of regular use of PTFE are yet to be thoroughly investigated and documented.
Other Dangerous PTFE Based Products
It can happen to birds living in your care also. There are other PTFE based products, which are equally harmful to these avians. We also use PTFE baking sheets, which can be harmful for caged birds if it is brought close to a heat source. There was an incident in which some birds died within 15 minutes when a baking sheet was overheated due to some reason. There are messages circulated on the Internet urging people not to cook with non-stick cookware, since it is deadly to birds.
Difficult to Diagnose
The signs of PTFE toxicity are not that specific and you can only notice some respiratory and other diseases. We only notice such instances when the pet birds are either found dead in the bird cage or are gasping for breath. If exposure to these gases is very mild, the symptoms in the birds may be lack of coordination, wheezing, weakness, anxious behavior or even seizures.
As I walked in the woods to see the birds and squirrels, so I walked in the village to see the men and boys; instead of the wind among the pines I heard the carts rattle. In one direction from my house there was a colony of muskrats in the river meadows; under the grove of elms and buttonwoods in the other horizon was a village of busy men, as curious to me as if they had been prarie-dogs, each sitting at the mouth of its burrow, or running over to a neighbor’s to gossip. I went there frequently to observe their habits.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
The condition is diagnosed through physical examination as well as history of using non-stick cookware around the bird cage area. The overheated Teflon surface releases toxic particles, which affect the lungs of these birds. Post mortems reveal that the bird's lungs turned dark red, due to hemorrhages and congestion. The same conditions appear in Trachea and Bronchi as well. These symptoms are not specific to PTFE toxicity alone; therefore it is difficult to positively identify PTFE toxicosis. Other toxic irritants for pet birds in a bird cage, include ammonia, burned cooking oil, natural gas, carbon monoxide, and tobacco smoke and aerosol sprays.
Why are Birds Affected First?
PTFE overheating causes problems in rats and humans also. Humans display flue like symptoms though it is not fatal. The illness can, however, be severe. The unique anatomy of birds exposes them to toxins in the air. The high metabolic rate in bird's bodies requires them to use oxygen more efficiently, which means they absorb toxic gases quickly. Hence, it is important to ensure that pet bird owners place the bird cage of their pet birds in a proper location.
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