Steelworkers, Environmental, Consumer Groups Urge California to List Teflon Chemical as a Carcinogen

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, a coalition consisting of the United Steelworkers (USW), Sierra Club, Environmental Law Foundation, Environment California, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Environmental Working Group (EWG) filed a petition to have PFOA listed as "a chemical that is known to the state to cause cancer" under California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly referred to as Proposition 65.

PFOA, also called perfluorooctanoic acid or C8, is used to make Teflon cookware and other consumer and industrial products. DuPont is the only industrial producer of PFOA in the United States. Various stain and grease repellents applied to textiles, carpeting and paper food packaging may also break down into PFOA.

"PFOA," the petition states, "is a highly controversial substance that studies have documented causes liver, pancreatic, and testicular cancer in animals. Numerous studies have shown that non-occupational exposure to PFOA occurs daily, in people of all ages, from infants to the elderly, and that the chemicals may persist in human blood for years."

During a teleconference Wednesday, USW President Leo W. Gerard said, "We are forming a broad based coalition to defend workers and the public from irresponsible actions by private industries that may expose us and future generations to environmental and personal harm. The cancer risks to consumers and workers from PFOA are preventable and entirely unnecessary."

If PFOA is listed as a carcinogen under Proposition 65, businesses would be prohibited from knowingly discharging the chemical into sources of drinking water and be required to provide warnings before knowingly exposing anyone to PFOA unless they could show that the exposures create no significant risk of cancer.

USW cited other states where PFOA water pollution already exists at DuPont facilities, including in Circleville, OH. and Fayetteville, NC. DuPont also settled for $107 million with 80,000 residents around its Parkersburg, WV plant after polluting their drinking water for over 20 years. DuPont paid the largest civil administrative penalty ever levied by the EPA of $16.5 million for not telling regulators about the drinking water contamination, as well as other information related to the health risks of PFOA.

"We must hold companies accountable for their toxic trespasses," Richard Wiles of the Environmental Working Group said. "We believe people have a right to know what we're being exposed to and that companies have a duty to warn the public about exposure to PFOA. We've found that almost everyone is exposed to this chemical, including unborn babies."

The coalition believes, as the petition states that "by acting quickly to list, the debate over the levels of risk presented by PFOA can take place as Proposition 65 intended -- with the burden of proof on the company responsible for exposure to establish that the risks are insignificant and that the public right to know is unnecessary."

EPA has been researching the toxicity of PFOA for at least three years. An EPA scientific advisory board this month recommended EPA classify it as a "likely" to be carcinogenic to humans. The EPA has not said whether it will take the recommendation or not.

"California residents voted to enact Prop 65 so their public officials will be on the cutting edge in addressing possible threats to their health," Dan Jacobson, Legislative Director of Environment California, said. "It's thus disappointing that the state agency has not acted proactively but instead seems to be waiting on the Bush Administration and US EPA to make up its mind. Hopefully, today's petition will trigger some action quickly and not more government foot-dragging while this risky substance continues to enter our environment."

Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, added, "The potential for such widespread exposure demands that governments err on the side of caution and make sure families have the information they need to make smart and safe choices. That's not just common sense. It's also the basic premise of our right to know laws in California."

   Contact:
   April Dreeke, USW strategic campaigns, (o) 412-562-2382,
   (cell) 818-795-2267

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