GoKawiilAir fryers have surged in popularity over the last decade, with some 70% of US households either owning an air fryer or planning to buy one within the year. Air fryers offer a faster way to cook a wide range of foods with less oil. While avoiding excess cooking oil can be a boon for your health, most air fryers are manufactured with chemical nonstick baskets, which raises questions about the health risks of using them.
Quality Teflon and synthetic fluoropolymers are considered food-safe when used properly -- namely, not heating above a certain temperature or damaging the surface and flaking it off into food -- so there's no need to hit the panic button. There are, however, best practices for using an air fryer or other chemical nonstick-coated cookware to avoid Teflon Flu and other health hazards.
So is your air fryer at risk of releasing toxic emissions that could cause Teflon Flu?
What is Teflon Flu?
An elevated number of Teflon Flu cases were reported in 2023, according to a recent Washington Post investigation. CNET
Polymer fume fever or commonly known as "Teflon Flu," is an illness that occurs when noxious fumes from a Teflon or chemically-treated nonstick pan are inhaled. These fumes are emitted when nonstick pans overheat or burn.
With normal use, nonstick coatings aren't thought to cause a health risk, but when heated to above 500 F, there are increased emissions and the resulting polymer fume fever. Polymer fume fever causes a range of reported symptoms including fever, chills, muscle tension and headache. Symptoms of Teflon flu are temporary and generally start within 12 hours of exposure, but can take up to 24 hours to take hold.
Nonstick cookware is made with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFEs are known as "forever chemicals" because they can take decades, or even hundreds of years, to break down.
Do air fryers still have Teflon coating?
Most air fryer baskets are coated with Teflon or a similar nonstick coating. David Watsky/CNET
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