What to avoid when buying new parrot-safe Oven?...
... and why?
I know it may be hard, as there are huge differences between US and EURO appliances, but maybe some general rules will apply.
I need to upgrade my built-in electric oven, and need to know what should I avoid to keep my house safe for parrots.
TEFLON - does it happen to be used in Ovens? If yes, is it listed explicitly or hidden under some marketing mumbo-jumbo?
SELF CLEANING (catalyst) - is it dangerous? If yes, is it dangerous if the "self cleaning" function is not used? (may be important, because now most of the mid-range stuff is equipped with some form of self cleaning, so probably giving up on that would mean low-end only)
Anything other in particular that comes to your mind?
Yes it is in old ovens as well (it has been around since the late 30s) and it can be applied to metal as a colored coating (black, grey, silver, pink, green etc), a transparent topcoat (invisible), or mixed into the metal during the molding process (invisible). It doesn't go away with age (and off-gassing potential is actually even higher in older products, as the chemicals start to break down and off-gas at higher rates).
It is even woven into fabrics that are intended to repel water or heat up (e.g, raincoats and ironing board covers)...A raincoat will be safe to wear unless you iron it or put it in the dryer--then the chemicals heat and can off-gas. Using a steel iron on a teflon-woven ironing board covers poses similar risks...Heck, I just saw a bunch of cloth dog crate covers (cute ones) containing it, and it is even in some water-proof mascara (again, not that it matters...but it is in a lot of stuff that you wouldn't expect). It is relatively safe unless you heat it up at all.
Yes it is hidden under a million different names and it can be hidden inside of appliances that heat (on motor parts etc).
If an appliance heats up (internally or externally) or is designed to withstand heat (as in trays, pots, pans etc) you need to call or write with an inquiry specifying all of the full chemical names and abbreviations...not just Teflon (as Teflon is merely one popular brand). Like ParrotGenie said in a separate post, a lot of companies are now marketing things as PTFE/PFOA free because they know this is frowned upon, but you still need to verify that they aren't using some chemically similar fluoronated compound just so that they can call their product PTFE/PFOA free.
Self-cleaning ovens can be dangerous, but if Teflon free, they often are generally safe unless you use the self-cleaning function.... If you get any oven (self-cleaning or non) you must make sure it is free of PFCs/PTFE/PFOA/Teflon. Some self-cleaning ovens do contain it, so those wouldn't be safe even if you never used the self-clean function. Other ovens without a self-cleaning function also contain it, so again, those would not be safe. If you find a self-cleaning oven without any of these chemicals, then it should be safe as long as you never use the self-cleaning function.
Even an oven without Teflon in it can kill birds on the self-clean setting...SO once you verify that something is Teflon/PTFE/PFOA/PFC free, you still cannot use the self-clean function.
When you get a new oven (even Teflon free) you need to run it at a very high heat with your bird completely out of the house. Then give your house plenty of time to air-out...seriously...
They are all coated in factory coatings that burn off and off-gas during the first few uses.
WHY- Teflon/PFCs/PFOA/PTFE produces an odorless gas when heated. This gas can kill birds in as little as 5 minutes and there is no cure. Doors/walls do not prevent poisoning, so using products with Teflon anywhere in your home can kill your bird. People have lost birds on different floors when using Teflon products... Dupont (one main manufacturer) claims that off-gassing only occurs at unsafe temperatures (like when you burn food or forget a pot of water on the stove to the point of dry heat)--This is not the case though, as MSU (a college in Missouri) lost thousands of chicks due to heat lamps coated in Teflon--they only reached a heat of something like 350 degrees F. My point is, regardless of the supposed safe temperatures, there are plenty of well-documented, conflicting reports that indicate lower temperatures can be just as deadly to birds...SOOO....don't use it in your home.
