Polymer fume fever

Polymer fume fever, also polymer fume fever or Teflon fever, is the name for a disease in humans, caused by toxic Teflon decomposition products.

When Teflon is heated too strongly, it decomposes into toxic fluorine compounds. For smaller amounts, it may come to the so-called polymer fume fever. After a short latency then occur flu-like illness. Fever, weakness, chills, tachycardia, and leukocytosis are typical symptoms. To be differentiated from the polymer fever irritant gas poisoning, which can occur ( over 400 ° C) during the thermal degradation of Teflon. The formation of highly toxic lung irritant gases ( perfluoroisobutene, Fluorophosgene etc.) may cause pulmonary edema and other serious diseases such as bronchopneumonia, which may also lead to death.

These severe cases of the disease are but so far only known from industrial manufacturing, where temperatures are often higher than in the household ( eg, when a Teflon pan overheated ) may occur and also dust this Fluoroplastics. Because of the risk by inhaled as dust and toxic gases degraded fluoropolymers Smoking is prohibited in PTFE processing production areas.

The decomposition vapors of fluorinated polymers are highly toxic for certain house birds such as parrots and canary. Symptoms include severe breathing problems ( breathing with open beak, jerky tail motions and audible hoarse breathing), after which usually quickly followed by death ..