C8. July 21, 2004. DuPont denies Non-stick cookware hazardous. China Daly.

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK PESTICIDE PROJECT

Return to Newspaper articles and Documents related to this Class Action

C8 or C-8: PFOA is perfluorooctanoic acid and is sometimes called C8. It is a man-made chemical and does not occur naturally in the environment. The "PFOA" acronym is used to indicate not only perfluorooctanoic acid itself, but also its principal salts.
The PFOA derivative of greatest concern and most wide spread use is the ammonium salt (Ammonium perfluorooctanoate) commonly known as C8, C-8, or APFO and the chemical of concern in the Class Action suit in Ohio.

Ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO or C8)
CAS No. 3825-26-1. Molecular formula:

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA or C8)
CAS No: 335-67-1. Molecular formula:

The DuPont site where APFO is used as a reaction aid is the Washington Works (Route 892, Washington, West Virginia 26181) located along the Ohio River approximately seven miles southwest of Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The Little Hocking Water Association well field is located in Ohio on the north side of the Ohio River immediately across from the Washington Works facility. Consumers of this drinking water have brought a Class Action suit against the Association and DuPont for the contamination of their drinking water with DuPont's APFO, which residents and media refer to as C8.

PFOA is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers to produce hundreds of items such as non-stick surfaces on cookware (TEFLON), protective finishes on carpets (SCOTCHGUARD, STAINMASTER), clothing (GORE-TEX), and the weather-resistant barrier sheeting used on homes under the exterior siding (TYVEK).

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-07/21/content_1621973.htm

July 21, 2004

China Daily

DuPont denies Non-stick cookware hazardous

   BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Chemical giant DuPont is rushing to quell unease among Chinese users of non-stick, Teflon-coated cookware.

    In a rare press conference on "fluoropolymer and cookware safety" Tuesday in Beijing, Charles Browne, President of DuPont China Holding Co Ltd, said its Teflon coated non-stick cookware is not hazardous to human health, reported Wednesday's CRI online.

    "The evidence from over 50 years of experience and extensive scientific studies supports our conclusion that PFOA does not harm human health or the environment," Browne said.

    PFOA, or C-8, is a substance used to manufacture fluoropolymers, including DuPont's Teflon, which is widely used to make non-stick cookware in China and around the world.

    Earlier this month, the US Environmental Protection Agency alleged at a press conference that DuPont had failed to comply with technical reporting requirements of the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act regarding PFOA.

    Reiterating DuPont will file a formal denial to the complaint within 30 days, Browne said the US agency's allegation had been somehow "misinterpreted" in some Chinese media, which partly fuelled the current consumer unease about non-stick pans.

    The unproven allegations prompted some Chinese retailers to pull Teflon-coated cooking implements from the shelves.

    Some reports said Teflon- coated non-stick cookware was labeled hazardous to human health, while Tom Skinner, an official of the US agency, stressed no determination was made at the press conference about potential health hazards of C-8.

    Browne said he spoke with China's quality supervision agency Tuesday afternoon to give them all the tools necessary to verify that DuPont Teflon non-stick pans are safe.

    "We are confident that they'll arrive at the same conclusion that we have," he said.

    "We'll continue to provide data and science to help consumers make well-informed choices."

    The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the country's top quality watchdog, said it had put together a panel of experts to test whether the Teflon coating was harmful to human health and the result was expected to be released in September.

    Commenting on the impact of the case on the sales of non-stick cookware worldwide, David Boothe, another DuPont official, said most Chinese-made Teflon cookware is exported to the US and European markets, where no effects have been felt.