Chemical in Teflon, other goods is turning up in disturbing places
More than 65 years ago in a south New Jersey laboratory, a DuPont chemist accidentally invented a waxy, white powder that would become one of the mainstays of the modern kitchen: Teflon.
Today, this nonstick marvel is getting attention far beyond the stovetop. A chemical used to make it, perfluorooctanoic acid — PFOA — has been turning up in people and animals worldwide: river otters in Oregon, polar bears in the Canadian Arctic and in the blood of 96 percent of children tested in 23 states.
Scientists are not sure how the chemical is getting into people — not from using Teflon pans, they say — and they don't know whether it poses any danger at current levels.
The Seattle Times
Today, this nonstick marvel is getting attention far beyond the stovetop. A chemical used to make it, perfluorooctanoic acid — PFOA — has been turning up in people and animals worldwide: river otters in Oregon, polar bears in the Canadian Arctic and in the blood of 96 percent of children tested in 23 states.
Scientists are not sure how the chemical is getting into people — not from using Teflon pans, they say — and they don't know whether it poses any danger at current levels.
The Seattle Times
posted by das at 1:22 PM
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