SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Overheating

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20260129-FA0BC-2147324063. Severity: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received. Product: Instant Pot Brands IDGR1000 (The product is an indoor grill and air fryer combo. It's called the Instant Pot Indoor Grill. It is black with a glass top (Width: 16.8 in, Height: 8.7 in, Length: 18.1 in)). Incident: Product Hazard: Toxic Off-Gassing & Negligent Safety Instructions 1. The Hazard (Chemical Exposure): The manufacturer (Instant Brands) admits in their California AB 1200 disclosure that this product line contains PFAS, specifically PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) and FEP, in the food contact surfaces. Upon standard operation, the unit emitted thick, noxious chemical fumes that persisted for nearly a week. 2. The Injury (Polymer Fume Fever & Neurotoxicity): Exposure to these fumes caused immediate and acute physical illness. Even though I was working in a separate room at the opposite end of the house, the fumes were potent enough to cause severe physical symptoms, including pounding headaches, blurred vision, nausea, and chest tightness. In addition to the flu-like symptoms consistent with "Polymer Fume Fever," I experienced distinct Central Nervous System (CNS) agitation. This manifested as a physiological sense of "unwellness" and extreme nervous-system excitability (feeling "on high alert"), which persisted throughout the exposure. The severity of the fumes made it physically difficult to enter the kitchen for nearly a week. 3. The Defect (Negligent Instruction): When reported, the manufacturer's support team admitted these fumes were "normal for new units" and explicitly instructed me to perform multiple "Dry Runs" (operating the unit empty at high heat) to "burn off" the smell. This instruction is dangerous. Heating PTFE coatings without food load causes rapid overheating (often exceeding 500F), which accelerates the release of toxic particulate matter. The User Manual