So Teflon is safe for humans, but some have also accused it of harming our feathered friends.

For reasons having nothing to do with PFOA, Teflon can hurt birds if a pan is extremely overheated. In fact, fumes from any type of cookware, not just non-stick, cause avian angst if you leave a pot burning on the stove. Because they have highly sensitive lungs, birds are also at risk from burning butters or oils, aerosol sprays, and cleaning solvents.

“Any type of cookware, not just non-stick, can be dangerous to your pet birds if food is left to burn in pots and pans,” notes University of Pennsylvania veterinarian Karen Rosenthal. “Long before non-stick material presents a concern, fats, oils and butter will begin to smoke in a pan at 400-degrees Fahrenheit and can produce gases harmful to birds. This temperature is well below the point at which non-stick cookware could release fumes.”

So never leave any heated pot or pan unattended, no matter what it’s made of. And matey, don’t ye be lettin’ Polly perch on yer shoulder while ye cook.

But if your only claim to a “beak” is an oversized schnoz, you have more to fear from fear mongering loot-seeking lawyers than from your cookware.

Michael Fumento (mfumento -at- pobox.com), is a nationally syndicated columnist with the Scripps Howard News Service, senior fellow at Hudson Institute, and author of Science Under Siege: Balancing Technology and the Environment.