EPA Panel Finds PFOA a Likely Carcinogen and DuPont Sued in Class-Action Suit

Perfluorooctanoic acid (also called PFOA or C8), a chemical DuPont uses to make Teflon^® and other products (see

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Vol. 13, No. 3), is “likely to be carcinogenic to humans,” according to a draft report from an advisory board to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If EPA accepts the designation, it will conduct a full risk assessment to determine the levels at which it poses a threat. Meanwhile, two Florida law firms have filed a $5 billion class-action lawsuit against DuPont, claiming the company hid information about PFOA’s potential health threats. The plaintiffs want DuPont to replace the cookware, institute a Teflon warning label, and fund medical monitoring and additional research. “Consumers using products sold under the Teflon brand are safe,” says DuPont spokesman Clif Webb. “Cookware coated with DuPont Teflon nonstick coatings does not contain PFOA.” More information about PFOA is online at www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/.