 it's called the teflon flu people getting sick from a release of chemicals used on certain nonstick cookware health experts say waterproofing products like teflon and scotch guard when overheated can lead to high chemical exposure resulting in possible hormone imbalance miscarriage developmental issues and cancer the advice check your cookware if it's got a lot of wear and tear on it if you've had it for longer than three and five years then you probably should replace them