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Have you ever wondered what might happen if you left your empty non-stick frying pan on the heat for too long? Well, in certain circumstances, you might end up with a case of polymer fume fever which could lead to lung damage.
Also known as Teflon flu, polymer fume fever can occur if the dangerous fumes from heated Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are inhaled. PTFE is used in the coating of certain brand name non-stick pans and kitchen utensils, and has caused certain worries for consumers over product liability claims that non-stick cookware can lead to illness and personal injury.
How can my frying pan make me ill?
If PTFE is heated to between 300 degrees centigrade and 450 degrees centigrade the pyrolysis products (chemical decomposition of condensed substances caused by heating to a certain temperature) released into the atmosphere can cause polymer fume fever.
It presents with flu-like symptoms including chills, headache and fever, but can also bring on tightness in the chest and a mild cough.
When PTFE reaches heats above 450 degrees centigrade, inhalation of the fumes can cause acute lung damage.
The illness becomes apparent around 4-8 hours after exposure to the PTFE fumes and although a chest x-ray would be returned as normal, patients suffering from Teflon flu may present with leukocytosis a raised white blood cell count.
Certain cases have also shown that a heated non-stick pan, releasing polymer fumes, can be extremely harmful to birds, especially parrots and cockatiels. These birds have breathing which is optimised for rapidity but which lets in toxins that would be excluded by human lungs.
One documented case revealed that five cockatiels (Nymphicus Hollandicus) died after just half an hour's exposure to fumes emanating from a milk pan coated with PTFE which had been allowed to overheat. The owner of the birds also reported symptoms of polymer fume fever, but recovered in 24 hours.
A vet examined the dead birds and found the lungs were congested with fluid as a result of inhaling the toxic fumes.
Claiming for polymer fume fever with the no win, no fee specialists at YouClaim
Whilst leaving a pan to overheat is clearly the fault of the user and not something the manufacturers can be sued for, polymer fume fever can also occur in the workplace and is most likely in poorly ventilated rooms or buildings used in the polymer industry.
If you feel you have been affected by the condition at work and were not properly protected, you may be able to make a claim for compensation with the personal injury experts at YouClaim.
All our compensation solicitors are experts in their field and have years of experience in winning our claimants damages through the civil courts.
Each personal injury lawyer is governed by the strictures of the Solicitors Regulation Authority a branch of the Law Society so you will have complete piece of mind that your claim will be handled with the utmost professionalism.
Call today on 0800 10 757 95 to see if we could help you claim compensation for polymer fume fever, product liability or a work-related accident.
