News Coverage
Teflon may be hazardous
Published July 31, 2003
The chemical used to produce Teflon coating on cookware may be hazardous to children and women of child-bearing age, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Environmental Working Group released an EPA draft report this Spring. The report says ammonium perfluorooctanoate (C8) accumulates in human blood and is toxic. The chemical has been used by DuPont for more than 50 years in the creation of Teflon.
Residents in Wood County, West Virginia, where a DuPont plant is located, have filed a class action lawsuit that claims their drinking water has been contaminated by the chemical.
DuPont says although C8 may cause cancer in laboratory rats, no adverse human health effects have been found. It also says C8 does not appear in cookware sold under the Teflon brand because it's removed during manufacturing.