EPA: DuPont's C-8 a 'likely' carcinogen

[cyberpj]

Company denies findings of agency's draft report on chemical used in Teflon
JEFF MONTGOMERY / The News Journal
06/29/2005

A chemical used to make DuPont Co.'s Teflon coatings and thousands of other consumer and industrial products is a "likely" carcinogen, and may pose greater risks beyond cancer, according to a review by an Environmental Protection Agency advisory panel.

The EPA Science Advisory Board's "Perfluorooctanoic Acid Human Health Risk Assessment Review Panel" plans to take public comments on the draft report on July 6 during a meeting in Washington, D.C. Agency officials released the draft document Tuesday in advance of the public comment session.

"While human data is ambiguous, two separate feeding studies demonstrate that PFOA is a multisite carcinogen," the report noted. The "likely" designation, officials said, is typically applied to compounds found to cause tumors in more than one species in more than one way "with or without evidence" it causes cancer in humans.

Members of the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization based in Washington, said the findings appear to back up the EPA's recent decision to launch civil and criminal investigations into DuPont's handling of health information involving PFOA. DuPont faces millions in fines in connection with those probes.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050629/NEWS01/506290318/1006/NEWS

[cyberpj]

1. Health screenings for Ohio and West Va residents for Teflon chemical

Health tests to start in DuPont deal
Experts raise concerns over potential risks posed by chemical used to make Teflon
Staff and wire reports
07/09/2005

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Tens of thousands of Ohio and West Virginia residents could be tested over the next year to determine if their health has been affected by drinking water containing a chemical used in making the nonstick substance Teflon.

DuPont Co. agreed in February to pay for the health screenings to settle a class-action lawsuit. Teflon is one of the company's most popular products; the substance can be found in everything from cookware and clothing to car parts and flooring.

The tests will begin this month for residents who receive their drinking water from six public water districts, or from private wells within the districts, where concentrations of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, also known as PFOA and C8, have been found.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050709/NEWS01/507090313/1006/NEWS