Cooking up trouble: What is 'Teflon flu', cases of which have been on the rise in the US?

Imagine whipping up your favourite meal, only to discover that your trusty non-stick pan might be making you sick. Sounds far-fetched? This is the reality for many Americans. Last year, US poison centres reported 267 suspected cases of polymer fume fever, a rare flu-like illness caused by inhaling fumes from an overheated non-stick pan.

Dubbed “Teflon flu” after the popular non-stick coating, these cases are among the highest reported since 2000, according to The Washington Post. Here’s everything you need to know about the condition. How does Teflon coating cause flu? Non-stick cookware, including popular Teflon pans, is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a type of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

These notorious “forever chemicals” are known for their remarkable persistence in the environment and human body, taking centuries or even millennia to decompose. When PTFE-coated pans are heated beyond 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius), the coating begins to break down, releasing toxic clouds of smoke and fumes. This exposure can lead to “Teflon flu,” a condition that arises from inhaling these harmful fumes.

As Zachary Hudson, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of British Columbia, explained to The Washington Post , “It’ll burn and release a very complex mix of oxidised, fluorinated substances. This is why they tell you: Don’t heat your Teflon pan to a high temperature.” A German study highlighted that heati.