Polymer Fume Fever

Book
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
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Excerpt

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic polymer of tetrafluoroethylene gas (F2C=CF2). PTFE was serendipitously discovered in 1938 by researchers at DuPont, who found that tetrafluoroethylene gas had spontaneously polymerized within uncoated pressurized metallic canisters. Subsequent research led to the description of a novel compound that would ultimately transform the world.

PTFE is a nonreactive, hydrophobic, low-friction material at room temperature. These properties have been applied broadly across industries, from coating pans to create a nonstick surface as with Teflon®, creating breathable and highly water-resistant fabrics found in outdoor clothing as with Gore-Tex®, to medical devices including stent coatings, bypass grafts, and hernia meshes, among others.

Due to its inertness and relative thermal stability, the acute health toxicity of fully polymerized PTFE was initially perceived to be low. However, this assertion was challenged in 1951 with the first reported case series of polymer fume fever due to occupational exposure. Subsequent epidemics over the years further supported the findings of adverse health effects associated with overheating fluorocarbon polymers, including PTFE.

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