Teflon under fire for toxicity

Group claims it should be avoided

Biloxi Sun Herald, Mike Keller
Published January 27, 2006

While many people at this point have heard of possible health concerns relating to Teflon coatings on kitchen cookware, a public-interest group said Teflon is just one of potentially millions of products that consumers should avoid. The Environmental Working Group, a Washington environmental and health investigative organization, claims the danger is also possibly in your carpet, closet, furniture, car and pantry. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a manmade chemical, is the one responsible for all the fuss. It has many uses, including making products fire resistant and water, oil and grease repellent. The only problem, according to the EPA, is it does not break down in the environment or in living organisms well and it may be toxic. "We think one of the major routes of exposure is from food packaging," said Anne Singer, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Working Group. "If you have eaten food from a package, you've been exposed to it." Singer said one of the biggest packaged culprits are microwavable popcorn bags, which have the chemical coating on the inside of the bag. She said the coating takes very high temperatures and also gets beaten up once the kernels start exploding. The EPA acknowledged studies linked the chemical to developmental and other health effects in laboratory animals. Their science advisory board labeled it a likely carcinogen, and a preliminary risk assessment found exposure raised cholesterol levels. The other problem is the chemical is so widely used in industry and consumer products that it "is widespread in the blood of the general population." Singer said "widespread" is an understatement. "Ninety-five percent of Americans already have it in their blood," she said. "We tested umbilical blood and found it there. It is in the womb and goes right through the mom to the baby." The EPA has made no recommendations for consumers to decrease their exposure to the chemical because it is not sure where it comes from or the pathways it takes into people. "Given the scientific uncertainties, EPA has not yet made a determination as to whether PFOA poses an unreasonable risk to the public," an EPA statement said. The DuPont Web site offers a report it says proves its products, including Teflon, do not contribute to PFOA in the blood. "An independent, peer-reviewed study... has confirmed that consumer products sold under the Teflon brand are safe to use," the company said. Environmental Working Group suggests people switch out their coated cookware for good, old-fashioned cast iron. Singer also said to choose carpeting, furniture and clothing that has not been treated with repellent chemicals and to eat fresh instead of packaged food. "Fresh foods are so much better for you anyway, this is another good reason to eat fresh," she said.