Erring on the Side of Caution Where Chemicals are Concerned is Wise

Harmful Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated by 2015

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 26, 2006; Page A01

Eight U.S. companies, including giant DuPont Co., agreed yesterday to virtually eliminate a harmful chemical used to make Teflon from all consumer products coated with the ubiquitous nonstick material.

Although the chemical would still be used to manufacture Teflon and similar products, processes will be developed to ensure that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would not be released into the environment from finished products or manufacturing plants.

PFOA -- a key processing agent in making nonstick and stain-resistant materials -- has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals and is in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, including pregnant women. It has also been found in the blood of marine organisms and Arctic polar bears.

The voluntary pact, which was crafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, 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 agreement will dramatically reduce the extent to which PFOA shows up in a wide variety of everyday products, including pizza boxes, nonstick pans and microwave-popcorn bags.

While not as sweeping as the federal ban on DDT in 1972, yesterday'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.

"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."

The move, which came just a month after DuPont reached a $16.5 million settlement with 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.

"This is one of those days when the Environmental Protection Agency is at its best. With its announcement today, the EPA is challenging an entire industry to err on the side of precaution and public safety, and invent new ways of doing business," said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. "As harshly as we have singled out DuPont for criticism for its past handling of PFOA pollution, today we want to single out and commend the company and acknowledge its leadership going forward."

As someone who has spent more than twenty years working in the chemical industry, I have always believed that corporations should err on the side of caution. Too often, we have merely assumed that the chemicals we use are safe. The reality is most chemicals pose a threat and should be controlled where possible.

I do not agree with those who would ban chemicals, like DDT for instance, but tighter controls on the manufacture and use of the chemical, especially where casual emissions are concerned, is only prudent.

It was the government that mandated oxygenating chemicals like MTBE to be added to gasoline, and it was the corporations who chose MTBE over other alternatives. Both decisions proved to be disasterous. MTBE is now ubiquitous in our water supply, and is next to impossible to eliminate.

Bad decisions where chemicals are concerned are very often irreversible, hence caution and care should be the rule, not banning or carelessness.

Full Story: EPA Makes Good Move

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