C8. July 12, 2004. China plans checks on Teflon cookware after EPA allegations vs. DuPont. By Elaine Kurtenbach. Canadian Press.

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://www.canada.com/businesscentre/story.html?id=2C048510-59D6-47E8-B55A-9582E9D3CD2A

July 12, 2004

Canadian Press

China plans checks on Teflon cookware after EPA allegations vs. DuPont

By ELAINE KURTENBACH

SHANGHAI (AP) - Chinese officials plan to inspect non-stick cookware following allegations that U.S. chemical giant DuPont failed to report potential health risks from a chemical used to make Teflon.
Officials at Quality Supervision Bureaus in Beijing and the southern city of Guangzhou said Monday they were preparing to conduct spot checks of cookware. That follows reports last week that the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency expects to take action against DuPont for failing to disclose information about the synthetic chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA or C8.

"Any products that pose a threat to health will be removed from the shelves immediately," the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

The EPA alleges that Delaware-based DuPont failed to report information about the risk to human health or the environment from PFOA.

DuPont denies it failed to meet reporting requirements or that Teflon-coated cookware poses any threat to human health. PFOA is used in the process of making Teflon, but the finished product does not have any PFOA content, said Olivia Chan, a spokeswoman for DuPont in China.

"The chemical is vapourized during manufacturing," Chan said. "Our product is safe."

Although the EPA said it was conducting a separate probe to determine whether PFOA poses risks to health or the environment, China's state-run media reported Monday the allegations against DuPont were fuelling worries here that using Teflon-coated pans might increase the risk of cancer.

China's own lax environmental and quality control standards are an added cause for concern, the reports noted.

Less than half the Teflon-coated pans sold in China meet the government's quality standards, and poor-quality products would be more likely to release harmful chemicals during cooking at high temperatures, the state-run New Beijing Post reported.

© Copyright 2004 The Canadian Press