The New Straits Times, April 22, 1996
Q: I would like to know whether the use of non-stick utensils can pose a danger to one's health.
A: The coating that makes cooking utensil non-stick is called teflon. The scientific name for it is polytetrafluoroethylene.
Under normal circumstances, the use of tefloncoated utensils does not pose a danger to humans, but gross overheating can result in the decomposition of this coating leading to the formation of various types of oxidised products; some of which like perfluoisobutylene and carbonylchloride are said to be toxic.
The types of oxidised products formed from over-heating of this coating depends on the temperature.
At temperatures between 300°C and 500°C, an unidentified waxy particulate fume may be produced.
Inhalation of this fume is believed to cause chills, fever, profuse sweating, cough, difficulty in breathing, chest tightness and flu-like symptoms.
This condition, which is referred to as 'polymer fume fever', is generally self-limiting and may last up to 1-2 days with the exception of chest tightness that may persist for a number of weeks.
At temperatures below 200°C, there is no evidence to indicate that decomposition of this coating occurs.
