US suffering record levels of little-known illness 'Teflon flu' that spreads from common household appliance READ MORE: Alarm over forever chemicals as they're discovered in bloodstream By Maiya Focht Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 17:10, 22 July 2024 | Updated: 17:15, 22 July 2024 e-mail View comments Toxic fumes from burning nonstick pans sent a record number of Americans to the hospital in 2023. Data shows that in 2023, over 250 patients were admitted with the little-known condition dubbed 'Teflon-flu', which causes fever, body aches and chills.
Cases likely haven't been this high since 2000, according to researchers at America's Poison Centers, who said the condition is rarely diagnosed because it's so hard to tell apart from other, more common illnesses. When used properly, these pans are harmless, but many consumers are unsure about how to actually treat nonstick pans, leading to concern about their safety Julie Weber, the director of the Missouri Poison Center, cautioned. Teflon flu can cause headache, body aches, fever, chills and shivers, officials say.
Sometimes, symptoms develop immediately, other times, it takes hours Teflon flu occurs when an individual breathes in fumes from a nonstick pan made with PTFE burns 'A lot of this comes down to a person really not cutting corners, following directions and using things properly,' Ms Weber told The Washington Post . There have only been 3,600 cases of suspected cases of polymer fume fever in the past coupl.