Dangers of Teflon

[Guest guest]

Dangers of Teflon

 

The Wall Street Journal ran an article June 30th about the potential

dangers of Teflon. Generation Health suggests using steel or cast

iron pots and pans instead of Aluminum or Teflon. The following

report appeared in a major Ohio newspaper and is raising the safety

question about Teflon dangers:

 

DuPont Co.'s toxic chemical C8 is a " likely human carcinogen, " a US

Environmental Protection Agency scientific committee has concluded.

The 17-member panel found in a draft report that C8 is a more

serious health threat than EPA reported in a risk assessment study

released in January.

 

" The available animal data indicate a carcinogenic potential for

[C8] in humans, " said the draft report released Monday. Members of

the EPA Science Advisory Board panel are scheduled to review the

draft during a public meeting July 6 in Washington.

The EPA is in the final stages of a first-of-its kind study of how

C8 has gotten into most Americans' bloodstreams and whether it is

harmful.

At the same time, DuPont is facing millions of dollars in civil

penalties -- and a criminal investigation -- for allegedly hiding

information about C8's dangers from regulators and the public.

 

But the preliminary science board findings are also a blow to the

EPA, which had said scientific data provided only " suggestive

evidence " that C8 could cause cancer in humans.

 

Growing Health Concern

C8 is a growing health concern nationwide, but is of particular

importance in West Virginia. For more than 50 years, DuPont has used

C8 at its Washington Works plant near Parkersburg to make Teflon and

other products.

 

On July 5, the state Environmental Quality Board is scheduled to

review a state Department of Environmental Protection permit for

DuPont.

 

The permit covers a toxic waste dump where DuPont has disposed of

huge amounts of C8-containing wastes. But DEP officials have

declined to limit the amount of C8 the landfill can discharge into a

nearby creek.

 

Jessica Greathouse, a DEP spokeswoman, said Tuesday that agency

lawyer Perry McDaniel has been following the EPA C8 study. But she

said McDaniel had not yet read the draft science advisory panel

report.

 

DEP Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer has recused herself from C8-

related matters, Greathouse said. Before joining the DEP,

Timmermeyer represented DuPont in C8 and other matters.

 

'Likely Human Carcinogen'

In its 31-page draft report, the EPA panel said studies have linked

C8 exposure to four types of cancerous tumors: testicular, liver,

pancreatic and breast.

 

The panel emphasized that a study that found elevated mammary gland

tumor rates in female rats " should not be dismissed " by EPA.

 

" Human cancer data on [C8] are inadequate to support a conclusion

of the presence or absence of a causal association, " the EPA panel

concluded.

 

The panel said animal studies and the available human data support

the conclusion that C8 is a " likely human carcinogen. "

 

Under the EPA's own guidelines, that term " is typically applied to

agents that tested positive in more than one species, sex, strain,

site or exposure route, with or without evidence of carcinogenicity

in humans; or a positive study that indicates a highly significant

result where the response is assumed to be relevant to humans, " the

panel said.

 

'Does Not Pose a Health Risk'

DuPont officials declined to offer detailed comments on the EPA

panel's draft report.

In a prepared statement, DuPont said the company " believes that the

weight of evidence suggests that [C8] exposure does not cause cancer

in humans, and does not pose a health risk to the general public. "

 

In February, a Wood County judge approved a $107.6 million

settlement of a lawsuit filed against DuPont on behalf of thousands

of residents whose drinking water was allegedly poisoned with C8.

 

The EPA has alleged in a civil lawsuit that DuPont has

caused " widespread contamination " of drinking water supplies near

its Parkersburg plant. "

 

The EPA also alleged that this pollution has created a " substantial

risk of injury to the health or the environment. "

 

The Washington-based Environmental Working Group has been

investigating C8 issues. On Tuesday, the group alerted reporters to

the EPA panel's draft report and then held a conference call to

discuss the study.

 

" This will accelerate the whole process and give it some teeth, "

said Richard Wiles, vice president of the group.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

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