Safety Coated Lamps and Animals

Many safety coated lamps are coated with a substance called polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE. It is also known by the trade name Teflon, and is fundamentally the same substance that many non-stick cooking pans are coated with. When lamps coated with PTFE are burned, a small amount of gas is emitted from the lamp. PTFE has been shown to be safe when used around humans and most animals, but birds have very sensitive respiratory systems and are therefore very susceptible to sickness or death. We strongly recommend against the use of any PTFE coated lamps in areas where birds are kept, such as chicken coops.