Teflon-making chemical 'likely' to cause cancer

Roman Bystrianyk · medicine forum Guru Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 454

"Teflon-making chemical 'likely' to cause cancer", Boston Globe, June
30, 2005,
Link:
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/06/30/teflon_making_chemical_likely_to_cause_cancer/

A chemical used by DuPont Co. to make the nonstick substance Teflon
poses more of a cancer risk than indicated in a draft assessment by the
Environmental Protection Agency, an independent review board has found.

The EPA stated earlier this year that its draft assessment of
perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts found ''suggestive evidence" of
potential human carcinogenicity, based on animal studies.

In a draft report, the majority of members on an EPA scientific
advisory board that reviewed the agency's report concluded that PFOA,
also known as C-8, is ''likely" to be carcinogenic to humans, and that
the EPA should conduct cancer risk assessments for a variety of tumors
found in mice and rats.

Environmentalists hailed the report as an important step in holding
government regulators and the Delaware-based chemical giant
accountable.

The board's findings will increase pressure on the EPA to conduct human
health risk assessments for liver, breast, pancreatic, and testicular
cancer, as well as on PFOA's potentially toxic effects on the immune
system, said Richard Wiles, senior vice president for the Environmental
Working Group, an advocacy and research organization. ''This makes it
hard for the EPA not to move forward aggressively," he said.

A spokeswoman for the EPA, said agency officials had not reviewed the
advisory report and do not comment on recommendations until they are
final.

DuPont officials would not comment but said in a prepared statement
that human health and toxicology studies suggest PFOA exposure does not
cause cancer in humans.

DuPont uses PFOA in the manufacturing of Teflon, used in products such
as cookware and clothing, but the chemical is not part of the nonstick
material.

Mark Probert · medicine forum Guru Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 1720

Roman Bystrianyk wrote:

Roman Bystrianyk · medicine forum Guru Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 454

OOOooo ... that was a bad pun. LOL

Mark Probert · medicine forum Guru Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 1720

Roman Bystrianyk wrote:

Roman Bystrianyk · medicine forum Guru Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 454

Not really ... some are simply more pun-ishing.

Mark Probert · medicine forum Guru Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 1720

Roman Bystrianyk wrote:

Google