PFOA release needs more study

Mississippi Press, Staff
Published August 19, 2006

There appears to be something of a free pass being given to DuPont/First Chemical's plan to process perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA, at a Pascagoula plant. Pascagoula city officials should pause and start a diligent process to determine if PFOA is safe. Until that is done, the city ought to exercise all available options to halt the processing here until the facts are known about the chemical and its health and environmental risks. The processing is of particular concern because even company officials admit there will be chemical releases into the air and water. However, the local plant manager at a meeting last week said telomer alcohol and PFOA are not hazardous. Granted, it appears there is no definite ruling on the toxicity of perfluorooctanoic acid but there is also nothing to say it is completely safe. A report last week stated that David Rickard, a toxicologist with DuPont, said because PFOA can be found in the bloodstream, mothers could transfer it to unborn fetuses. But he reiterated the company's claim of no health effects being reported. That's not what most would term a positive statement about the safety of this chemical. Also raising questions is that the chemical will be shipped here for processing. That's led some to question if PFOA is safe, why isn't it being process elsewhere? The Sierra Club contends New Jersey rejected the processing and its emissions. A company official said DuPont has invested $20 million in the project to process PFOA here, which will mean up to nine new jobs. Does that also mean the decisions have already been made that this area will just have to live with PFOA? Becky Gillette, co-chair of the South Mississippi Sierra Club, said one of the biggest issues is there little regulatory power in place to check emissions. The company has said up to two pounds of PFOA would be discharged annually. Gillette said there is nothing in place to monitor how much PFOA is discharged. There are also no guidelines as to what's a safe amount of PFOA to discharge or at what point the chemical triggers a toxic reaction in the body. Jackson County already shoulders a huge environmental risk from its existing industries. But, all along the Gulf Coast, economic interests are weighed against environmental risks. That's OK and jobs are needed, but there is also a growing awareness that the environment must be protected. At the least, a high degree of assurance should be required before accepting additional risk.