Food containers need attention

Raleigh News & Observer, Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Published December 8, 2005

How is perfluorooctanoic acid getting into our blood? I've touched on this topic in earlier columns, examining questions about the role fumes from nonstick cookware may play in putting perfluorooctanoic acid -- PFOA, for short -- in almost every American's blood. New allegations from a chemical company whistleblower raise the possibility that the toxin may be getting into our bodies from food packaging. PFOA is produced when the chemicals used to make nonstick coatings break down. In addition to being applied to pots, pans and skillets, nonstick coatings also are widely used for food packaging because of their grease-resistant properties. They're used in such things as candy wrappers, pizza boxes, Chinese take-out and french fry containers, microwave popcorn bags and the wrappers on fast-food sandwiches. Earlier this year, an Environmental Protection Agency expert panel determined PFOA to be a "likely carcinogen." The agency plans to study the situation longer and has not yet finalized its report nor accepted the panel's recommendation. Meanwhile, PFOA continues to build up in our bodies. Studies show it's in the blood of 95 percent of Americans. Where is it coming from? Last month some possible clues came from former DuPont chemical engineer Glenn Evers and the watchdog Environmental Working Group. Evers worked with DuPont's nonstick chemicals during a 22-year career with the company before losing his job three years ago. He says he was forced out after raising concerns about the chemicals. The company has said Evers lost his job in a restructuring. Evers said the company has known -- and kept secret -- for two decades that a chemical used to make food packaging paper grease-resistant migrates into food at three times the rate originally reported to the Food and Drug Administration when it approved the chemical for use in 1967. Internal company documents supporting Evers' claim were obtained by the Environmental Working Group, which shared them with reporters at a news conference last month. "These documents indicate a failure to disclose critical public health information about a toxic chemical that never breaks down, that gets into our bodies and stays there," EWG Senior Scientist Tim Kropp said. DuPont denies the allegations and says the products are safe. "FDA has cleared these materials for consumer use since the late 1960s, and DuPont has complied with FDA regulations and standards regarding these products," the company said in a statement. DuPont also put forward this statement: "Allegations that food-contact paper made with DuPont materials contain unsafe levels of PFOA (C8) are false." That's beside the point, and the company knows it. The concern is that the chemicals being used in food packaging paper may be leeching into food at rates higher than previously disclosed and then possibly breaking down into PFOA after they are eaten. The FDA says it's continuing to study the situation, adding that for now it has no reason to change its position that the coatings are safe when used according to its standards. But Evers says the government standards provide little comfort. He says DuPont negotiated with the FDA in the mid-1960s to establish a weak standard for how much of the chemical coating could seep into food. That standard remains in place today. Evers also says that 3M, a DuPont competitor, abandoned its business using similar chemicals when it realized they were creating byproducts that were accumulating in human blood. What happened when Evers shared his concerns with company officials? They told him not to worry and that they were "taking care of it," Evers says. The bottom line? This case serves as an example of why we need regulatory agencies with technical expertise and the political will to protect the public's health. That requires the backing of elected representatives willing to put the health of the public before the interests of major corporations. Also ran in the Charlotte Observer.