With the fall and winter holidays upon us, some of us may be planning lots of baking and extra cooking for our families and friends. A good time to remind ourselves and others of dangers that may be lurking in our kitchens. My moto: Look before you Cook.
It saddens me so much every time I learn of another tragic bird death due to manufacturers still using PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and still hyping what a wonderful invention it is. It is NOT! This toxic deadly chemical can kill a bird in your home within minutes.
If it can kill a bird within minutes, why on earth would anyone want such a silent killer in their home. Around our children, grandchildren, pets, anyone in fact we care about, including ourselves. Just because a human doesn't die within minutes, doesn't mean it is not causing deathly harm to the health of those we love.
What is so offensive to me also is that manufacturers insert his hideous danger into our lives in so many different products never warning us of the danger.
Most bird people are aware of the non-stick cookware, such as the brand name Teflon, but did you know this toxic substance is also in almost all new ovens, stoves, indoor grills, carpets, flooring, clothes dryers, hair dryers, space heaters, irons, ironing board covers, waffle irons, deep fryers, heat lamps, as well as many other small appliances and even in some clothing products.
For many years it was assumed this PTFE had to reach a certain temperature to do any harm. That has been proven false. It has been shown it can be deadly at medium temperatures as well. It has been documented that at a temperature of only 350 degrees (some researchers say as low as even 250 degrees) toxicity becomes a concern.
It's called a silent killer because you can't smell it, you can't detect it with a monitoring device, you will never know it's killing your bird until it's too late to do anything to save your precious baby. It spreads the insidious odorless fumes throughout your home without you knowing it. Even a closed door will not keep it out.
Having personally witnessed the death of a friend's birds after she innocently used a new drip pan to broil some steaks, I can say it is a horrible tragedy to happen. She lost budgies in an adjoining garage, and cockatiels in a room off the kitchen. The doors to the dining room and the garage were shut.
Another friend lost her beloved Eclectus to this horrible chemical compound and the bird was down the hall in another room from the kitchen where the cookware was used.
And, one of my wonderful customers lost several budgies and her Indian Ringneck simply cooking dinner using her oven newly installed. She was careful not to use any known teflon products or other non-stick cookware that might be dangerous. She had no idea the lurking danger in her new oven because manufacturers keep such information in the almost hidden small print if they disclose it at all.
And another friend lost all her flock when she left a pot boiling on the stove and went outside to her garden to get something; got sidetracked and was outside for too long. Sadly she did know the dangers of Teflon but thought such a tragedy would never happen to her.
What can we do? We can spread the danger warning information whenever and wherever we can. Be be pro-active in reading labels carefully, asking questions of sales people and retailers, and contacting manufacturers with questions when necessary. We may not be able to eliminate 100% of everything that contains this dangerous chemical, but by being careful, we can help keep our birds and ourselves as safe as possible until manufacturers own up to the dangers and care more about the customer than their profit.
My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a bird because of this. I also do get frustrated though when someone says "it will never happen to me". I say it won't happen until it happens. Are you willing to risk the lives of your bird family?
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