Originally published February 26 2006
EPA leads effort to reduce the release of PFOA into the atmosphere
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The EPA is leading the charge against an industrial chemical found in Teflon and known as PFOA, perfluorinated acid, which now resides in most Americans' bloodstreams and has been shown in lab studies to cause immune suppression and liver cancer.
In a rare move against a widely used industrial compound, the US Environmental Protection Agency is asking all American companies to virtually eliminate public exposure worldwide to a toxic chemical used to make Teflon and thousands of other products.
Although the effort is voluntary, the Federal Government has rarely taken such a sweeping, accelerated action against an industrial compound.
The eight companies that use it to make an array of non-stick and stain-resistant products are expected to comply, cutting releases by 95 per cent over the next four years, and completely soon after that.
DuPont, which manufactures Teflon and has used the compound for more than 50 years, immediately pledged to meet the deadlines.
The voluntary action will not end the sale of Teflon and other products, but it is supposed to drastically curtail the release of the chemical into the atmosphere.
The chemical, a perfluorinated acid called PFOA, has contaminated the bloodstream of most Americans and is polluting the environment throughout much of the world.
In laboratory animals exposed to high doses, PFOA causes liver cancer, reduced birth weight, immune suppression and developmental problems.
In humans, the effects are unknown, but it is transferred to foetuses in the womb.
"The science on PFOA is still coming in, but the concern is there.
Acting now to minimise it is really the right thing to do for our health and our environment," said the agency's acting assistant administrator, Susan Hazen.
Last month, the agency fined DuPont $US16.5 million ($22 million) for allegedly hiding data on the health effects of PFOA and contaminating a water supply in the Ohio Valley, in West Virginia.
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