News Coverage
Common chemical may cause deaths, defects
Published April 14, 2003
A common chemical used in making Teflon, Gore-Tex and hundreds of other products seems to cause deaths, birth defects and developmental problems in rats and could harm people, federal officials said Monday.
In an unprecedented move, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is intensifying a study of the chemical -- "perfluorooctanoic acid," known as PFOA -- to see how much risk it poses and what should be done about it.
PFOA helps protect consumer products from fire, stains and water. Products containing PFOA include nonstick cookware and protective finishes on carpets and clothing. Other applications are scattered throughout the aerospace, construction, automobile, chemical processing, electronics and textile industries, the EPA said.
PFOA is found in Americans' blood in low levels, according to three studies. Even so, many scientific uncertainties remain, and it is premature for people to worry or stop using everyday products containing the chemical, said Stephen Johnson, EPA's assistant administrator for toxic substances.
PFOA has been studied several times, starting in 1961, according to environmental groups, but it was a 2002 rat study by the chemical industry that prompted the EPA to act. A 61-page EPA "preliminary risk assessment" links PFOA to rat pup deaths and delays in the sexual maturity and development of young rats whose mothers were exposed.
"Clearly, the data before us raise concern for the agency," Johnson said. "But that concern is tempered in that there is a lot of uncertainty associated with the information that we have."
DuPont, the only large U.S. company using PFOA in its manufacturing processes, insists that its products are safe. DuPont argues that the data suggesting otherwise are based on extremely large doses given to rats, and there is no comparable human exposure.
In connection with Monday's action, DuPont and other companies agreed to dramatically increase company-sponsored research of PFOA health effects. But the Environmental Working Group, an activist group that does scientific research, said the EPA isn't acting fast enough.
"We give them 110 percent credit for starting this process," said the group's senior scientist, Kris Thayer. But "we think the risk picture is worse than EPA is saying today."
The Environmental Working Group sent a letter to EPA last week accusing DuPont of hiding a 1981 study that linked PFOA to health problems in babies. DuPont vigorously denies the charge. EPA is investigating, Johnson said.