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The Devil they Knew Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science.pdf
PFAS: are they still a threat?
PFAS: are they still a threat?
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were first developed in the 1940s, but the health risks associated with them only became public knowledge in the late 1990s. However, according to a study published in Annals of Global Health (I leave you the link to the article below and on the left), the main manufacturing companies of the time, including DuPont and 3M, were already aware of the dangers since the 1960s. The study accuses these companies of deliberately hiding these risks for decades.
These substances are still widespread in the environment today, even in remote areas. They are present in various commonly used products such as:
food packaging
carpets
building materials
cosmetics
non-stick pans
waterproof garments
firefighting foams
PFAS are known as "forever pollutants" due to their resistance to degradation, which makes their removal from the environment very difficult and expensive. Without restrictions, thousands of these substances continue to be used and released into the environment, contaminating air, water, food and the human body. Although the scientific community has long highlighted the health risks linked to compounds such as PFOA and PFOS, only in 2023 did the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) definitively confirm their danger [1].
The consequences for staying silent
For more than 60 years, evidence of the risks of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has emerged. As early as 1961, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a report alleging illnesses among workers in PFAS-producing industries after smoking cigarettes contaminated with Teflon. Shortly thereafter, news circulated that a member of the US Air Force had died from the same reason. However, both DuPont and the Air Force denied this information, and the author of the report was forced to recant under pressure from the chemical industry and the Air Force itself [2].
1961, il Canadian Medical Association Journal.pdfCanadian Medical Association Journal, 1961
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1961
Letter to the Journal
In 1965, several scientific studies linked PFAS to “polymer fume fever,” an illness caused by inhaling Teflon heated to 300°C. In 1970, DuPont researchers found that C8, now known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), was "highly toxic if inhaled and moderately toxic if ingested," as Time reported. In 1981, eight women working at a DuPont factory gave birth to babies with various defects, including vision and tear duct problems.
Internal studies by 3M and DuPont in the 1990s showed that C8 could increase the risk of prostate cancer and that 61 percent of 30 workers tested had elevated liver enzyme levels, a sign of liver inflammation. Additionally, workers at both companies had elevated levels of fluoride in their blood, indicative of the presence of PFAS [1].
To date, the aquatic environment is the most contaminated by PFAS [1] [3]
Water pollution is also the main cause of PFAS contamination in foods, which in turn constitute the main route of human exposure to PFAS.
The most contaminated foods are:
Fish and seafood (especially freshwater)
Fruit and products containing fruit (especially PFOS)
Meat and meat products (especially offal and liver)
Classificazione dei PFAS:
PFOS is included among "persistent organic pollutants" (POPs)
PFOA among the "substances of very high concern" (SVHC)
EFSA has issued several opinions on perfluoroalkyl compounds suggesting monitoring and investigation of human exposure.
Do we have to worry about Teflon in non-stick pans today? [4]
Do we have to worry about Teflon in non-stick pans today? [4]
American Roy J. Plunkett accidentally discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 1938 while working as a chemist at the DuPont company. During an experiment with tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) gas, Plunkett found a white powder in the cylinder that was supposed to contain the gas. This powder turned out to be PTFE, a polymer made up of TFE molecules, each composed of two carbon atoms and four fluorine atoms. PTFE is an odourless, white, lightweight powder known for its non-stick properties, resistance to react with other chemicals, non-flammability, electrical insulation and stability at high temperatures (up to 300°C). These characteristics have made PTFE a very popular material, introduced to the public in the second half of the 20th century, and best known for its use as a non-stick coating [5].
Non-stick pans, coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are the best known products to contain this material, but they are not the only ones. During World War II, PTFE was used to coat and protect military equipment due to its non-stick and corrosion-resistant properties.
Today PTFE is used in a wide range of products:
Filters
Seals
Valves
Anti-corrosion protections
It is also used in waterproof and breathable synthetic fabrics, ideal for technical sports clothing, and in medicine for the creation of vascular prostheses and dental implants. In pots and pans, introduced into homes since the 1960s, the PTFE nonstick coating is usually black and consists of multiple layers applied to a metal substrate, such as aluminum, with the quality of the pan depending on the number of layers and the type of metal used.
In the coating of pans you can find polytetrafluoroethylene, a substance composed of carbon and fluorine and used today in various contexts. It is better known by the trade names of the products in which it is contained (for example Teflon, Fluon, Algoflon, Hostaflon, Inoflon).
The non-stick coating of pans is not associated in itself with an increased risk of getting cancer or having particular health problems, at least when cooking takes place without reaching too high temperatures and keeping the surface intact
The potential danger of non-stick pans is linked to the presence - increasingly rare in modern products - of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in some processes for preparing the final product.
PFOA is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as Class 1A (carcinogenic to humans) [1].
You can safely use non-stick pans by following a few very simple rules [4]:
never heat the empty pan because doing so increases the risk of reaching too high temperatures in which the stability of the material is compromised
keep the room well ventilated when cooking
throw away the pans if the coating is particularly damaged. In the latter case the risk does not derive so much from the release of coating particles, but rather from the underlying metal, which is often not suitable for coming into contact with food.
The coating on non-stick cookware is not in itself dangerous to your health, but some substances, PFOA in particular, which may be used in the product manufacturing process, have been associated with an increased risk of cancer and other diseases.
How to choose a pot for purchase?
How to choose a pot for purchase?
The most recently produced pans should not contain PFOA, we increasingly read on the labels "PFOA-free, PTFE-free and nickel-free". It remains an excellent gift to choose quality products, read the instructions provided by the manufacturer and throw away the pans when the coating appears very damaged.
Bibliography
[1] UNEP/POPS/CONF/4, App. II (2001), reprinted in 40 ILM 532 (2001). The text of the convention and additional information about POPs is available online at the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP's) POPs https://chm.pops.int/TheConvention/Overview/TextoftheConvention/tabid/2232/Default.aspx
[2] Mack, G. J. (1961). Toxicity of decomposition products of “Teflon”. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 85(17), 955.
[3] Giuseppe Ungherese, prefazione di Robert Bilott, PFAS Gli inquinanti eterni e invisibili nell'acqua, Storie di diritti negati e cittadinanza attiva, Altraeconomia Le talpe, 2024, pp, 166-167.
[4] Agenzia Zoe, Agenzia di informazione medica e scientifica, Fondazione AIRC per la Ricerca sul Cancro, https://www.airc.it/cancro/informazioni-tumori/corretta-informazione/pentole-e-padelle-rivestimento-antiaderente
[5] National Center for Biotechnology Information (2024). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 9554, Perfluorooctanoic acid. Retrieved August 4, 2024 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Perfluorooctanoic-acid.
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