Teflon Contamination Update

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Teflon Contamination Update http://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/6/teflon_contamination_update.htm By Richard Mesquita, AquaMD (AquaMD is the water testing division of the American Water Council, anationally respected provider of water education and testing services.AquaMD has teamed with Dr. Mercola to provide you both the free homewater evaluation and the Dr. Mercola water testing packages athttp://www.aquamd.com/mercola/labtests.cfm.) Hard to believe, it's been almost 70 years since Teflon was firstintroduced. Since its creation in 1938 by the DuPont Company, it hasbeen added to countless household and personal care products under thesun besides non-stick cookware. To name a few: * Clothing (Gore-Tex jackets and other apparel) * Carpets * Upholstery * Nail polish removers * Eyeglasses * Pizza boxes Because it was first introduced so many years ago, Teflon gained widedistribution before scientists could determine its impact on our health. Teflon in Drinking Water Dupont manufactured Teflon one time or another at various chemicalplants in the United States. And, while it was clear to everyone thata component of Teflon known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was foundin drinking water supplies near their chemical plant in West Virginia,no one seemed to know about any contamination to public water suppliessurrounding their Ohio chemical plant. In fact, Ohio's state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publiclyannounced that PFOA was not found in drinking water suppliessurrounding the Dupont Ohio chemical plant. Yet, amazingly, just oneday after their announcement, federal EPA officials said they hadindeed found PFOA in that same drinking water. Even worse, a federal EPA official involved with the discovery of thatPFOA-contaminated water said she was just not confident the feds wouldget all the information they needed to pursue the matter completely.And, to top it all off, despite all the warnings, Ohio's EPA continuesto tell residents they should not be concerned with the PFOA that isin their water ... Why Don't We Know More About the Health Effects of PFOA? The federal EPA claims that for decades DuPont knew that PFOA wasbeing dumped into areas surrounding their plants and it was leachinginto water supplies, but they neglected to report it. On the otherhand, DuPont says it was unnecessary to report their findings to theEPA under the law. That's why it wasn't until five years ago the fedsstarted investigating the risks of PFOA. What they are discovering ispretty worrisome. For example, they now know that once PFOA is released into theenvironment, it doesn't quickly break down and disappear. Even when aperson exposed to PFOA cuts off all future exposure, it still takesanother 20 years for the body to get rid of that toxic substance, saysTim Kropp, a toxicologist with the Environmental Working Group. DuPont may be starting to see the light. Before the discovery of thelatest contamination, they settled one class-action lawsuit involvingPFOA contamination by agreeing to pay for tests to measure the levelof PFOA in blood samples of residents who live near their Teflonmanufacturing plants in the United States. They expect to spend $70million on that testing. And depending on what's found, the companymay have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more to find outexactly how PFOA is impacting people's health. To settle another lawsuit, DuPont agreed to build a $100-million watertreatment plant to remove PFOA from the drinking water near one oftheir facilities. In yet another town, DuPont is now providing bottled water to 4,300residents until they can install the right treatment systems to removePFOA from their water supply. What We Do Know About PFOA Based on tests performed on lab animals, an advisory panel of thefederal EPA has recommended PFOA be classified as a likely humancarcinogen. A recent study has also found that people exposed to PFOA had a 10percent increase in cholesterol levels and most of that was due to arise in bad (LDL) cholesterol. Amazingly, there is no federal safe drinking water standard for PFOAand the state EPA of West Virginia has set a lax standard that's basedon little meaningful research. In fact, the EPA of West Virginiaclaims if the level of PFOA in your water supply is less than 150parts per billion (ppb), it is safe for consumption. But a recent study of 326 people who had been using water contaminatedwith PFOA levels of only 2-7 ppb, had PFOA levels in their blood of298–369 ppb. How did that happen? As I mentioned before, once the PFOA toxin getsinto your system, it stays in your system. The more water you use, themore PFOA that accumulates in your body! Make Sure Your Water is Safe This Teflon report is not an isolated incident. Our country islittered with contaminated water supplies. And, in most cases, localwater companies tell their customers not to be concerned: "The wateris perfectly safe ... It meets all EPA standards ..." Often, however,the water really isn't safe. Time and again, the safety standards theyreference are based on poor research and driven by big business. Inother cases, standards are non-existent. Case in point, the threat posed by PFOA merits no federal safedrinking water standard, even though the EPA believes PFOA is a likelycarcinogen. Take time to find out what is in your water supply. If specificcontaminants are identified, you can install the right water treatmentsystem to care for your particular problem. You can then also meetwith your health care practitioner about treating any damage it hasdone to your body. Dr. Mercola's Comment: Please don't fool yourself into thinking that you can tell your wateris safe by the way it looks, tastes, or smells. Some contaminants in water are so harmful that they are measured in"parts per million" or "parts per billion." In other words, just adrop of these poisons added to gallons and gallons of water can bevery harmful. Just installing a filter to purify your drinking water may not beenough. You could still be exposed to contaminated water when you: * Shower or bathe * Wash your hands * Wash laundry * Rinse fruits and vegetables * Wash dishes, glasses, and other utensils If you are unsure if your water is safe, I recommend you find out bytaking advantage of AquaMD's Diagnostic Service or their DirectLaboratory Testing Services. How AquaMD's Diagnostic Service Works 1. If your water is supplied by a water company or municipality: You simply answer some brief, but pertinent questions in their onlinequestionnaire. One of AquaMD's water diagnosticians will review your responses andcontact your water company to examine the laboratory tests they haveperformed on your water supply. AquaMD will provide you with a written report advising: * If the water you are using is safe right now. * If you need a specific water treatment system to remove thecontaminants found in your water. * If some limited additional laboratory tests should be performedbecause your water company did not conduct them. 2. If your water is supplied by a private well: You need to have your well water tested yourself at least once a year.Since there are hundreds of contaminants you can test for, it is notcost effective to test for every possible one. You can take advantage of Dr. Mercola Lab Test Packages that I'vecreated with the help of AquaMD. You can also customize your ownpackages to fit your needs. I encourage you to find out if your water is safe by taking advantageof AquaMD's services at AquaMD.com. Related Articles: How Your City Adds Chloramines to Your Tap Water Cadmium Being Found in More and More Americans The Danger Lurking in Your Shower Beryllium: The Hidden Toxin in Your Water