EPA and State of California consider ban on PFOA, often used in nonstick packaging

By David Bellm -- Packaging Digest, 8/5/2008 11:02:00 AM

Regulatory bodies in the U.S. are increasingly concerned with a chemical commonly found in nonstick packaging, citing evidence that it’s a carcinogen that accumulates in the human body over time. Accordingly, several bans on the compound are being considered.

The chemical in question is perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. It’s often found in such popular food packaging as microwave popcorn bags and frozen pizza containers.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, the EPA considers PFOA a serious enough threat that the agency wants it to be voluntary discontinued by 2015. And such measures might not be strong enough for the state of California, which is considering a bill to ban PFOA in food packaging by 2010. According to the Times story, the state senate has passed the bill, and the full assembly will vote on it before September.

The article also says that PFOA has been found in 98 percent of Americans’ blood and in 100 percent of newborns. It is also said to build up in the body without breaking down.

Within the chemical industry, there is said to be strong opposition to the assertion that PFOA is harmful. The industry stresses that while animal tests have shown it to be harmful, human testing has been inconclusive.

The scientific community, however, argues to the contrary.

Bill Walker, vice president of the Environmental Working Group told the Los Angeles Times, "There's never been a chemical found that affects animals but has no effect on humans … I don't like chemicals building up in my blood, even when the chemical industry says there's no risk."

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This article [“EPA and State of California consider ban on PFOA”] contains serious factual errors that require correction. For example, regulatory bodies in the U.S. are not “increasingly concerned,” nor has EPA or any other regulatory body determined that PFOA is a carcinogen or poses a concern for human health. Furthermore, the claim that PFOA is accumulating in the human body is simply not true. Recent studies show that PFOA levels in human blood are decreasing due to decreased levels in the environment, and the fact that PFOA does not remain in the body. It gradually declines.

Perhaps more important, the article omitted the fact that FDA, EPA and other regulatory agencies worldwide approve the use of PFOA in manufacturing consumer products. EPA’s website states: “At the present time, EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any products because of concerns about PFOA.”

John E. Heinze, Ph.D
Fluoropolymer Products Information Center
www.fluoropolymer-facts.com

John E. Heinze, Ph.D. - 2008-6-8 11:50:00 EDT

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