News Coverage
Negative Findings Could Stick To Teflon Maker
Preliminary Report Finds 'Some' Evidence Of Health Effects
Published January 17, 2005
CHICAGO -- The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a preliminary report stating that there is "some" evidence that a chemical used to make Teflon is carcinogenic.
Marketed as mess-free and convenient, the once unknown term "Teflon" is now a household name. The nonstick pans, many of which are manufactured by DuPont, are a popular choice.
But DuPont has been battling heat from the government on two fronts. Last week's news centers on the health aspect of the chemical used to make Teflon. For some time, environmentalists have been calling for its ban, saying it poses a risk to both humans and the environment.
The EPA's preliminary report said that there is some evidence that the fluorochemical, PFOA -- which is also known as C-8 -- induces liver tumors in rats. While environmentalists hailed the findings as significant, the EPA report said it is "not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential," reported WMAQ-TV in Chicago.
DuPont responded to the report by saying, "Although to date no human health effects are known to be caused by PFOA, DuPont recognizes that the presence of PFOA in human blood raises questions that should be addressed."
But environmentalists say stronger action is needed.
"We have banned chemicals in this country that are less toxic, less persistent than C-8," said Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group.
In a separate investigation, the EPA has accused DuPont of hiding information and studies that linked potential health risks to its workers and communities surrounding its plants. DuPont has vigorously denied and is fighting those EPA charges.
The chemical causing all the fuss is used to make Teflon only in the manufacturing process -- it doesn't make it into the final version of consumer goods, the television station reported.
The chemical C-8 has been found in polar bears in Alaska, the depths of Lake Michigan and in the bloodstreams of every human being tested. That's when scientists began to ask about the long-term effect.
Sue Bailey and her son Bucky are facing the questions about C-8. Bailey once worked in a plant that made Teflon and now believes that exposure harmed her son.
"For some reason, I was born with a deformity, and I need to find out what caused that," Bucky Bailey said.