The problem with glass is that it is a d**n poor conductor of heat, so uneven heating is likely.

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Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson

Not only is glass a poor heat conductor, it can break. I had a Corning Ware Visions (tm) saute pan which broke in half while in use. The contents of the flour cannister made a good fire extinguisher, though.

I like stainless steel pots with a large disk of aluminum on the bottom, and I use inexpensive teflon coated saute and fry pans. When the teflon starts coming off, pitch the pan and get a new one.

I use my cast iron pans for baking (cornbread, etc) -- works great!

edit - spelling

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I am a doctor, but I don't play one on TV.

This is pretty clear:
"When Teflon is heated the developing fumes produce in exposed human an influenza-like syndrome (polymer fume fever) or also severe toxic effects like pulmonary edema, pneumonitis and death."


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=11537570

Acta Astronaut. 1992;27:257-9. Related Articles, Links

Polymer degradation and ultrafine particles: potential inhalation hazards for astronauts.

Ferin J, Oberdorster G.

School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY 14642.

When Teflon is heated the developing fumes produce in exposed human an influenza-like syndrome (polymer fume fever) or also severe toxic effects like pulmonary edema, pneumonitis and death. The decomposition products and the resulting health effects are temperature-dependent. The toxic effects seem to be related to the ultrafine particulate fraction of the fume. To test the hypothesis that exposure to ultrafine particles results in an increased interstitialization of the particles which is accompanied by an acute pathological inflammation, rats were exposed to titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles by intratracheal instillation and by inhalation. Both acute intratracheal instillation and subchronic inhalation studies on rats show that ultrafine TiO2 particles (approximately 20 nm diameter) access the pulmonary interstitium to a larger extent than fine particles (approximately 250 nm diameter) and that they elicit an inflammatory response as indicated by PMN increase in lavaged cells. The release of ultrafine particles into the air of an enclosed environment from a thermodegradation event or from other sources is a potential hazard for astronauts. Knowing the mechanisms of action is a prerequisite for technical or medical countermeasures.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=10879927

Avian Dis. 2000 Apr-Jun;44(2):449-53. Related Articles, Links

Polytetrafluoroethylene gas intoxication in broiler chickens.

Boucher M, Ehmler TJ, Bermudez AJ.

A poultry research facility that housed 2400 Peterson x Hubbard cross broilers (48 pens of 50 chicks each) experienced 4% mortality within 24 hr of chick placement. Mortality started within 4 hr of placement, and within 72 hr, cumulative mortality had reached 52%. Mild dyspnea was the only clinical sign noted in some chicks prior to death. The primary gross lesion noted in the chicks submitted was moderate to severe pulmonary congestion. The lungs of four of these chicks sank in formalin, and blood-tinged fluid was noted in the mouth and nares of two chicks. The microscopic lesions noted in the affected chicks were moderate to severe pulmonary edema and congestion. The diagnosis indicated to the submitter was that pulmonary edema caused by exposure to an unidentified noxious gas caused the death of the chicks. The poultry house environment was tested for sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (as produced by combustion engines); all tests were negative for significant levels of these compounds. A second broiler flock was placed in the same facility and the mortality at 6 wk was 11%, which was greater than the 2.5%-4.7% mortality seen in the previous four flocks on the farm. Further investigation revealed that the only change in management practice in this facility prior to the onset of the severe mortality problem was the replacement of 48 heat lamp bulbs (one for each pen). The new heat lamp bulbs were polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated. PTFE gas intoxication has been reported in several exotic avian species, but this intoxication has not been previously reported in a poultry flock.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=1119084

Vet Rec. 1975 Feb 22;96(8):175-8. Related Articles, Links

A case of polytetrafluoroethylene poisoning in cockatiels accompanied by polymer fume fever in the owner.

Blandford TB, Seamon PJ, Hughes R, Pattison M, Wilderspin MP.

Five cocatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) died within 30 minutes following exposure to fumes from a frying pan coated with the "non-stick" plastic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) that had accidentally overheated. Within an hour the owner developed symptoms of "polymer fume fever" but recovered in the next 24 hours. Clinical signs and post mortem lesions of the cockatiels are described and reference is made to the unusual susceptibility of parakeets to the pyrolysis products of frying pans coated with PTFE.




For more, just go to PubMed Entrez and search on "polymer fume fever". It's also referred to colloquially as "teflon flu".

Very informative, welcome to the board kemokid

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By asking questions we sometimes get the wrong answers, from wrong answers we learn to ask the right questions.

This board has turned into a giant fuddite flame war! The people who are responsible should be punished.

Oh wait, I'm one of the main culprits. ops: Okay, the people who are responsible should be allowed to go free.

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Freedom For Fission A breath of fresh Iodine-131

Boy this is an old topic. But basically what it seems to boil down to is if used outside of the design specifics there is a chance that you might possibly have a problem. This problem obviously isn't wide spread and I wonder what the physiologicaly relevant quantities are here? I would imagine quite high. Personally I am going to worry about hyponatremia first.

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Light is faster than sound. "That's why some people appear bright until they speak"

WWGD (What Would GLP Do)

Inspected by #13

Panicked by some of the above posts, I did a google search on iron and alzheimer. Now I am really in a quandary because both excess iron in the body and iron deficiency have been associated with alzheimer's. I don't think I'll throw away my treasured iron frying pans just yet. The issue with excess iron seems to caution not to overdo it with iron supplement tablets, not to worry about trace amounts from cookware.

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There's room for all God's little creatures -
right next to the mashed potatoes

Ding ding I think we have a winner.

If and when they nail down THE cause I will be intereseted in wha tit is.....however, I doubt it will turn out to be one thing.

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Light is faster than sound. "That's why some people appear bright until they speak"

WWGD (What Would GLP Do)

Inspected by #13

Quoted by Kemokid:

I don't doubt that, but I also don't think it is relevant to this discusion--using teflon-coated pots at home. The author of the cited article was (IMO) talking about a conflagration, not cooking. I know the author (Gunther Oberdorster) fairly well, and will contact him to see if I am interpreting his findings correctly

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Standing on the shoulders of giants...