- PTFE was discovered in 1938 by Roy Plunkett after he left a mixture of chemicals out overnight. He discovered the substance was exceptionally slippery and the chemical was patented in 1941 under the name Teflon. Dupont was the first company to use it on cookware in the 1960s. As of 2010, Dupont was still making nonstick cookware using Teflon, which contains PTFE.
- Teflon cookware is not the only cookware that is dangerous for birds; all nonstick cookware and items that contain a nonstick coating with PTFE are dangerous. Under normal conditions, PTFE is safe. but when it gets too hot that it can enter a gaseous state, it is extremely toxic to birds. PTFE can be found in other items, including (but not limited to) hairdryers, light bulbs, heating lamps, coffeemakers, toasters, ovens, drip pans and clothes dryers. It is also found in cookware made by other companies, including Innovex, SilverStone, Swiss Diamond, Anolon Advanced, Supra, Calphalon, All-Clad, Circulon, Emerilware, Farberware, Meyer, KitchenAid, Krups, and George Foreman.
- Nonstick pans that contain PTFE are still made and developed as of 2010. New eco-friendly nonstick cookware that does not contain PTFE has been developed and released. The new nonstick coating contains ceramic or silicone coatings. According to Consumersearch.com, experts disagree about how well the newer coatings do in comparison to PTFE coatings. The editors of "Cook's Illustrated" magazine reported that the silicone-coated pans perform better than ceramic pans, but neither do as well as Teflon.
- Although the new nonstick pans do not contain PTFE, no tests have been conducted as to how their coatings affect birds. Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems, which is why canaries were kept in coal mines as a warning to miners. Bird owners took nearly 10 years to recognize the effect PTFE had on birds after it was first developed. Newer pans possibly are as dangerous as PTFE-coated cookware. To be safe, keep your bird in a well-ventilated room away from the kitchen. Also use a range hood that is ventilated to the outdoors whenever cooking.
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