Teflon, DuPont’s nonstick and heat-resistant coating, has been the focus of a great deal of controversy. The controversy has centered on DuPont’s failure to warn the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the public about the dangers of chemicals used in the manufacture of Teflon, and on the way the EPA has categorized these chemicals. See Drug Warnings: Teflon Side Effects and Risks for information about EPA action.
A perfluorinated compound, perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA) or C-8, is used in the manufacturer of Teflon, and there are reasons to suspect this chemical can lead to serious Teflon side effects. The first study that raised concern was done in Italy on the workers in a 3M plant that was manufacturing Teflon for DuPont. The study looked at levels of cholesterol in the blood over a 6-year period. It found excess levels of cholesterol and that 5–10 years exposure to PFOA or C-8 made workers 15 times more likely to die of a stroke. After release of these results in 2003, 3M stopped producing Teflon. In 2000 3M had already withdrawn its own water-resistant, stain-resistant product, Scotchgard, from the market after the EPA has expressed concerns about the safety of a chemical it contained which was very similar to PFOA or C-8.
The EPA has found that C-8 can remain in the human body up to 4 years after exposure, and the EPA is undertaking studies to try and determine why C-8 has turned up in over 95% of human blood samples in the US. A study released in 2006 showed that C-8 was found in blood samples from 298 out of 300 umbilical cords in newborns at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Perfluorinated compounds do not break down in the environment and they have been found in dolphins, whales, and cormorants in the Mediterranean, seals and sea eagles in the Baltic, and in polar bears.
DuPont has continued to claim that Teflon does not release C-8 into the environment or into food cooked in Teflon cookware, but they have failed to explain how C-8 has been spread into the blood of virtually every person in America. Some scientists have speculated that products like Teflon, Stainmaster, Scotchgard, Gor-tex, and others deteriorate over time and release toxic chemicals. Other scientists suspect that the there have been unreported releases of the chemical into the air and water. DuPont does admit that if Teflon cookware is overheated it releases toxic chemicals that produces aches and chills in humans and can kill domestic pets, particularly birds. This condition is known as Teflon flu. DuPont’s director of public affairs in 2004, Clifton Webb, dismissed these toxic side effects because Teflon flu was “temporary and soon passes.”
In late April, 2006, several owners of Teflon coated pans in 15 states were seeking to have their cases joined in a $5 billion class action lawsuit against the manufacturer, DuPoint Co. The company claims that there have been no studies showing Teflon is toxic to consumers.
Check out the following articles for more information about Teflon, filing a Teflon lawsuit and finding a Teflon attorney: