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"Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress." - Gandhi
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Chemical Compound in Dupont's Teflon a 'Likely Carcinogen'
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Posted by Macavity on Jul 13, 2005 05:59AM (PST)
from the high speed, low drag, but not teflon-coated! dept.
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Organic Consumer - The Environmental Protection Agency's own scientific advisory panel has identified perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical compound used to make Teflon, as a "likely carcinogen" in a report it plans to submit to the agency next month.
The draft report, which EPA posted on its Web site yesterday, is significant because it could prompt agency officials to regulate the processing agent -- known as PFOA or C-8 -- for the first time. Until now, the EPA has classified PFOA as a "suggested" carcinogen, which requires fewer health precautions.
The EPA is in the midst of a major investigation into how the compound, which is used to make stain- and stick-resistant surfaces and materials for products including Gore-Tex fabrics and pizza boxes, gets into consumers' blood and whether it affects their health. It is also seeking millions of dollars in fines from DuPont Co., which makes PFOA in Parkersburg, W.Va., on the grounds that the chemical giant failed for 20 years to report possible health and environmental problems linked to the compound.
(This was also covered in episode 131 of NewsReal with Sean Kennedy)
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