Why is there misinformation relating wearing a mask with Teflon (PTFE) to getting cancer?
Why is there misinformation relating wearing a mask with Teflon (PTFE) to getting cancer?
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Wearing a mask with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) does not increase your risk of getting cancer or any other negative health outcome. PTFE is the polymer that also makes Teflon, the brand name of a non-stick chemical coating commonly used on kitchen appliances such as pots and pans. While some masks are sprayed with PTFE or have a PTFE filter, as PTFE has widely been used in the field of air filtration, it would take a mask with PTFE to 1) be heated to an extremely high temperature — 300 to 400 degrees celsius or 572 to 752 degrees Fahrenheit, 2) for fumes to be released, and 3) for those fumes to be breathed in, for any ailment to be caused. The specific condition the highly unlikely hypothetical scenario would cause is not a cancer, but rather is a flu-like ailment known as “[polymer fume fever](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4544973/),” informally known as Teflon flu. Most surgical face masks do not contain PTFE, and are made out of a different type of plastic called polypropylene. If you do have a mask that contains PTFE, there is no evidence that wearing the mask would cause any flue-like symptoms or other negative outcomes when worn properly and normally.
Wearing a mask with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) does not increase your risk of getting cancer or any other negative health outcome. PTFE is the polymer that also makes Teflon, the brand name of a non-stick chemical coating commonly used on kitchen appliances such as pots and pans. While some masks are sprayed with PTFE or have a PTFE filter, as PTFE has widely been used in the field of air filtration, it would take a mask with PTFE to 1) be heated to an extremely high temperature — 300 to 400 degrees celsius or 572 to 752 degrees Fahrenheit, 2) for fumes to be released, and 3) for those fumes to be breathed in, for any ailment to be caused. The specific condition the highly unlikely hypothetical scenario would cause is not a cancer, but rather is a flu-like ailment known as “[polymer fume fever](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4544973/),” informally known as Teflon flu. Most surgical face masks do not contain PTFE, and are made out of a different type of plastic called polypropylene. If you do have a mask that contains PTFE, there is no evidence that wearing the mask would cause any flue-like symptoms or other negative outcomes when worn properly and normally.
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What our experts say
Wearing a mask with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) does not increase your risk of getting cancer or any other negative health outcome. PTFE is the polymer that also makes Teflon, the brand name of a non-stick chemical coating commonly used on kitchen appliances such as pots and pans. While some masks are sprayed with PTFE or have a PTFE filter, as PTFE has widely been used in the field of air filtration, it would take a mask with PTFE to 1) be heated to an extremely high temperature — 300 to 400 degrees celsius or 572 to 752 degrees Fahrenheit, 2) for fumes to be released, and 3) for those fumes to be breathed in, for any ailment to be caused.
The specific condition the highly unlikely hypothetical scenario would cause is not a cancer, but rather is a flu-like ailment known as “polymer fume fever,” informally known as Teflon flu.
Most surgical face masks do not contain PTFE, and are made out of a different type of plastic called polypropylene. If you do have a mask that contains PTFE, there is no evidence that wearing the mask would cause any flue-like symptoms or other negative outcomes when worn properly and normally.
Wearing a mask with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) does not increase your risk of getting cancer or any other negative health outcome. PTFE is the polymer that also makes Teflon, the brand name of a non-stick chemical coating commonly used on kitchen appliances such as pots and pans. While some masks are sprayed with PTFE or have a PTFE filter, as PTFE has widely been used in the field of air filtration, it would take a mask with PTFE to 1) be heated to an extremely high temperature — 300 to 400 degrees celsius or 572 to 752 degrees Fahrenheit, 2) for fumes to be released, and 3) for those fumes to be breathed in, for any ailment to be caused.
The specific condition the highly unlikely hypothetical scenario would cause is not a cancer, but rather is a flu-like ailment known as “polymer fume fever,” informally known as Teflon flu.
Most surgical face masks do not contain PTFE, and are made out of a different type of plastic called polypropylene. If you do have a mask that contains PTFE, there is no evidence that wearing the mask would cause any flue-like symptoms or other negative outcomes when worn properly and normally.
Context and background
On October 31, Kourtney Kardashian re-shared a post on her Instagram story to her 103 million followers with the false claim that common blue surgical masks contain PTFE, and that wearing them increases your risk of certain cancers, such as breast cancer, other diseases, such as preeclampsia, thyroid disease, as well as flu-like symptoms. While the post claims this information is from Cancer.org, that claim is false, and there is otherwise no identifiable source.
Though this false claim had already been circulating, particularly on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, the wide reach of Kourtney’s Instagram amplified it and coverage both by the public and news sources has increased.
On October 31, Kourtney Kardashian re-shared a post on her Instagram story to her 103 million followers with the false claim that common blue surgical masks contain PTFE, and that wearing them increases your risk of certain cancers, such as breast cancer, other diseases, such as preeclampsia, thyroid disease, as well as flu-like symptoms. While the post claims this information is from Cancer.org, that claim is false, and there is otherwise no identifiable source.
Though this false claim had already been circulating, particularly on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, the wide reach of Kourtney’s Instagram amplified it and coverage both by the public and news sources has increased.
Resources
- Teflon in masks does not pose a health risk, unless you get it extremely hot (Full Fact)
- Debunked: No, face masks 'sprayed with Teflon' are not causing flu-like symptoms (thejournal.ie)
- How Surgical Masks are Made (Thomas Net)
- Preparation and properties of PTFE hollow fiber membranes for the removal of ultrafine particles in PM2.5 with repetitive usage capability (RSC Advances)
- Doctors Call Kourtney Kardashian’s Mask Conspiracy Theory “Unbelievably Dangerous” (Refinery29)
- Teflon in masks does not pose a health risk, unless you get it extremely hot (Full Fact)
- Debunked: No, face masks 'sprayed with Teflon' are not causing flu-like symptoms (thejournal.ie)
- How Surgical Masks are Made (Thomas Net)
- Preparation and properties of PTFE hollow fiber membranes for the removal of ultrafine particles in PM2.5 with repetitive usage capability (RSC Advances)
- Doctors Call Kourtney Kardashian’s Mask Conspiracy Theory “Unbelievably Dangerous” (Refinery29)
