C8. Nov 3, 2004. A screech - then Teflon fumes killed my pet birds. A woman making a pie accidentally killed her four pet birds with the fumes from a Teflon baking tray. Yorkshire Post Today (UK).

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK PESTICIDE PROJECT

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C8 or C-8: PFOA is perfluorooctanoic acid and is sometimes called C8. It is a man-made chemical and does not occur naturally in the environment. The "PFOA" acronym is used to indicate not only perfluorooctanoic acid itself, but also its principal salts.
The PFOA derivative of greatest concern and most wide spread use is the ammonium salt (Ammonium perfluorooctanoate) commonly known as C8, C-8, or APFO and the chemical of concern in the Class Action suit in Ohio.

Ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO or C8)
CAS No. 3825-26-1. Molecular formula:

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA or C8)
CAS No: 335-67-1. Molecular formula:

The DuPont site where APFO is used as a reaction aid is the Washington Works (Route 892, Washington, West Virginia 26181) located along the Ohio River approximately seven miles southwest of Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The Little Hocking Water Association well field is located in Ohio on the north side of the Ohio River immediately across from the Washington Works facility. Consumers of this drinking water have brought a Class Action suit against the Association and DuPont for the contamination of their drinking water with DuPont's APFO, which residents and media refer to as C8.

PFOA is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers to produce hundreds of items such as non-stick surfaces on cookware (TEFLON), protective finishes on carpets (SCOTCHGUARD, STAINMASTER), clothing (GORE-TEX), and the weather-resistant barrier sheeting used on homes under the exterior siding (TYVEK).

http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=881134

November 3, 2004

Yorkshire Post Today (UK)

A screech – then Teflon fumes killed my pet birds

A WOMAN making a pie accidentally killed her four pet birds with the fumes from a Teflon baking tray.

Irene Clark was devastated when her parrot Charlie, cockatiel Molly and two budgies, Billy and Gregory, all died within hours of each other.

A post mortem examination on one of the birds proved inconclusive – but her vet suspects the birds were poisoned by gases from the Teflon coating.

And yesterday the parent company of Teflon issued guidelines warning of the potential dangers.

Devastated Mrs Clark, from Hibaldstow, North Lincolnshire, said: "I put a meat pie in the oven for my dinner and I went in the room to eat it when it was hot.

"I heard the two budgies screeching and when I looked one was almost dead. Five minutes later the cockatiel started going all wobbly and 10 minutes later she was dead as well.

"Then at about 10.45pm my parrot Charlie started going funny and he died – it was awful."

Mrs Clark added: "The post mortem initially proved inconclusive, but the vet added he suspected Teflon gas could have been to blame for them all dying," she said.

"He told me gases were sometimes given off when a tray is heated up and those gases just don't stay in one room.

"It has been absolutely heartbreaking. The more people who are made aware of this thing the better."

Mrs Clark has been told she must wait for more than a week for the gas to clear before buying a new bird. Richard Norton, from the Ashby Pet Centre in Scunthorpe, said that although he had never heard of the specific dangers relating to birds and Teflon gas, their advice was to take care where fumes were present and never take birds into the kitchen.

The parent company of Teflon, DuPont, has admitted birds' respiratory systems can be damaged by overheated Teflon non-stick surfaces. But, it says, burning food is more hazardous because it emits fumes at lower temperatures.

"Veterinary experts advise keeping pet birds away from cooking and cleaning fumes.

"These fumes can be hazardous to birds because birds are small and have very sensitive respiratory systems.

"Such fumes include overheated cooking fats (oil, butter, margarine) and also overheated cookware made with Teflon non-stick coatings."

They attached a comment from Dr Karen Rosenthal, director of Special Species Medicine at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
That read: "The kitchen is riddled with hazards for pet birds – the house overall, but the kitchen in particular.

"We all know that using non-stick cookware at inappropriately high temperatures is hazardous to birds. But burning food is more hazardous because it emits fumes at lower temperatures.

"If cookware is used properly, and birds are kept out of the kitchen during the cooking process, there should be no problem with birds in the house and non-stick cookware."