DuPont confident lawsuit on the dangers of Teflon won't stick

The Timaru Herald (New Zealand), Staff
Published May 10, 2006

A massive lawsuit was filed in the United States yesterday claiming Teflon manufacturer DuPont failed to disclose health risks posed by non-stick cookware. Reg Ponniah of NZPA examined the status of Teflon in New Zealand. Cooks beware! If you use non- stick pots and pans regularly -- but improperly -- you could catch Teflon flu, or wipe out your pet budgie. Non-stick coatings made of Teflon employs a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or C8, which can become toxic at high temperatures. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled PFOA was a "likely" carcinogen, meaning it could cause cancer. PFOA has been turning up in river otters in Oregon, polar bears in the Canadian Arctic, and in the blood of 96 per cent of children tested in 23 American states. Both Teflon manufacturer DuPont and the EPA say people have little to worry about, if they use non-stick cookware properly. While PFOA was used in the Teflon manufacturing process, it was not in the finished product, they say. At most, traces might remain. However, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit advocacy organisation in Washington, non-stick cookware can give off potentially harmful fumes at medium to high temperatures. These fumes, when inhaled, lead to what is termed Teflon Flu. The flu, though temporary, feels like the flu -- headaches, chills, backache and fever between 100 and 104. More ominously, the fumes kill birds that are nearby. In 2003, a US consumer revealed on ABC television's 20/20 programme that her pet cockatoo keeled over in its cage down the hall from the kitchen after all the water boiled out of a Teflon pan. Birds have hypersensitive respiratory systems, which is why canaries were used to warn miners of the presence of poisonous gases. In 2003, the EWG reported non-stick coatings "could reach 700F (370C) in as little as 3-5 minutes, releasing 15 toxic gases and chemicals, including two carcinogens". And birds can die at much lower temperatures -- as low as 240C, according to the EWG. The New Zealand Food and Safety Authority said it saw no danger in the use of the cookware, which is popular because less oil and butter is used in cooking. Cleaning is also easier, as nonstick pans are inexpensive and convenient to use, consumers say. It said it had no concerns that routine use of adult household products coated with Teflon or other similar non-stick products posed any health problems.