BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- PFOA -- a key processing agent used to make nonstick and stain-resistant materials -- is found in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, including pregnant women, and even in the blood of marine organisms and Arctic polar bears. It has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals.
On Wednesday, eight U.S. companies, including giant DuPont Co., agreed to virtually eliminate PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) from all consumer products coated with the ubiquitous nonstick material, Teflon.
Although the chemical would still be used to manufacture Teflon and similar products, processes will be developed to ensure that PFOA would not be released into the environment from finished products or manufacturing plants.
The move, which came just a month after DuPont reached a $16.5 million settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the company's failure to report possible health risks associated with PFOA, drew applause from environmental groups that have frequently criticized both the administration and DuPont.
The voluntary pact, which was crafted by the EPA, will force companies to reduce manufacturing emissions of PFOA by 95 percent by no later than 2010. They will also have to reduce trace amounts of the compound in consumer products by 95 percent during the same period and virtually eliminate them by 2015.
"The science is still coming in on PFOA, but the concern is there," said Susan B. Hazen, acting assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. "This is the right thing to do for our health and our environment."
Wednesday's agreement is expected to have profound implications for public health and the environment. An independent federal scientific advisory board is expected to recommend soon whether the government should classify the chemical as a "likely" or "probable" carcinogen in humans, which could trigger a new set of federal regulations.
DuPont officials said they were confident they could alter manufacturing methods over the coming decade to contain PFOA exposure from products that generated $1 billion in sales for the company in 2004.
"It's important to do this because this is a persistent material in the environment, and it's at low levels in people's blood," said David Boothe, DuPont's global business director. To remove PFOA, he said, the company will subject some of its products to extra heat and will sometimes add a step in the manufacturing process. "We're going to push it really hard and take it as far as we can."
Scientific studies have not established a link between using products containing trace amounts of PFOA and increased cancer risks. Hazen said Wednesday's announcement should "not indicate any concern . . . for consumers using household products" with such coatings. Enditem
(Agencies)
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