by Leslie Savan, Mother Jones
May/June 2007
http://www.motherjones.com
Article Summary: Teflon gets its nonstick properties from a toxic, nearly indestructible chemical called PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid. Used in thousands of products from cookware to kids' pajamas to takeout coffee cups, PFOA is a likely human carcinogen, according to a science panel commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is present, according to a range of studies, in the bloodstream of almost every American -- and even in newborns (where it may be associated with decreased birth weight and head circumference). Breathing in dust from Teflon-treated rugs or upholstery as they wear down is one way we may be ingesting PFOA. Food is another: Pizza-slice paper, microwave-popcorn bags, ice cream cartons, and other food packages are often lined with Zonyl, another DuPont brand. Technically, Zonyl does not contain PFOA, but it is made with fluorotelomer chemicals that break down into PFOA. Scotchgard and Gore-Tex, to name just two others, are also made with PFOA or other perfluorochemicals (PFCs). Once in our bodies, PFOA stays -- quietly accumulating in our tissues, for a lifetime. The EPA say studies show unequivocally that in "laboratory animals exposed to high doses, PFOA causes liver cancer, reduced birth weight, immune suppression and developmental problems."
Nonstick pans are not a major source of exposure to PFOA, because almost all of the chemical is burned off during manufacture. Still, when overheated, Teflon cookware can release trace amounts of PFOA and 14 other gases and particles, including some proven toxins and carcinogens, according to the Environmental Working Group's review of 16 research studies over some 50 years. Consumers of Teflon pans and pants (not to mention the mascara, dental floss, and other personal care products made slippery with a touch of Tef) have it relatively safe. The people who make the stuff, and who live near the plants, face far worse dangers.
Two years ago the EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million -- the largest administrative fine in the agency's history -- for covering up decades' worth of studies indicating that PFOA could cause health problems such as cancer, birth defects, and liver damage. The company has faced a barrage of lawsuits and embarrassing studies as well as an ongoing criminal probe from the Department of Justice over its failure to report health problems among Teflon workers. One lawsuit accuses DuPont of fouling drinking water systems and contaminating its employees with PFOA. Yet it is still manufacturing and using PFOA, and unless the EPA chooses to ban the chemical, DuPont will keep making it, unhindered, until 2015 and remains adamant that PFOA -- whether in pots, pants, or drinking water -- is no threat. Last year the EPA hit the 3M Corporation, maker of Scotchgard, with a $1.5 million penalty for failing to report PFOA and PFC health data.
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