DuPont affirms position that PFOA does not pose undue risk

16-Apr-2003

DuPont today affirmed its position that there is no evidence indicating adverse human health effects related to low levels of exposure to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), an essential processing aid used by DuPont and others to manufacture fluoropolymers. The company also said it fully supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) position that EPA "does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial related products" because of concerns about PFOA.

The company said that cookware sold under the Teflon(R) brand does not contain PFOA. Although PFOA is a process aid used to make the Teflon(R) branded fluoropolymers, it is removed in the manufacturing process. PFOA is not used to produce telomers, a different family of chemicals used to make soil, stain and grease repellants for paper, apparel, upholstery and carpet.

"We share the EPA desire to safeguard human health and the environment, and respect the position that there are still questions to be addressed," said Richard Angiullo, vice president and general manager for DuPont Fluoroproducts. "DuPont, along with other companies, has voluntarily committed to EPA to provide the necessary research to help address those questions. We also have led industry in reducing emissions of PFOA."

"The company would support EPA regulating the use of PFOA, which has been unregulated during the more than 50 years of its use," said Angiullo. "A well-informed regulation would help assure society is not being exposed to undue health or the environmental risks."

"DuPont remains confident that our use of PFOA over the past 50 years has not posed a risk to either human health or the environment, and that our products are safe," said Angiullo. "Our confidence is based on an extensive scientific database. This database includes both publicly available, peer- reviewed scientific studies built throughout our long use of this compound, as well as worker surveillance data."

According to Robert W. Rickard, director for the DuPont Haskell Laboratory for Health & Environmental Sciences, industry continues to expand the body of knowledge available about PFOA. DuPont, along with other companies, is leading an aggressive research program to better understand the biopersistence of PFOA and to evaluate possible routes of exposure.

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