February 20, 2006

Teflon Scare More Consumer-Based Than a Commercial Concern

The EPA’s call for manufacturers to voluntarily stop producing products containing Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a man-made chemical that might be the cause of liver tumors in rats, has stirred more concern among consumers who own pots and pans coated with nonstick Teflonw, a byproduct of PFOA, than among commercial operators. 

The reason for that is many operators don’t use nonstick cook- and bakeware, although it is a common household product, said Donna Garren, vice president of health and safety regulatory affairs for the National Restaurant Association. However, Garren said she received a few calls from pizza chains and other operators because many food containers for pizza, burgers and fries contain PFOA, which provides the foundation for warming materials in the products. Garren declined to say which chains had the concerns but, generally, those concerns were few and far between. “I haven’t had a large response to this from the industry,” she said. 

McDonald’s released a statement regarding packaging made with PFOA. “While the EPA has not changed its recommendations for packaging, McDonald’s suppliers have already begun a phaseout of the packaging they currently supply,” according to the statement. “They will be supplying an alternative packaging that will be PFOA-free.”

At this point, the NRA and NRAEF are awaiting more definitive research on the subject before taking a course of action, if any. “We’re waiting for more research from the EPA and FDA to come out toassess thoroughly what are the dangers,” Garren said.  She believes manufacturers of the nonstick cookware might have more concerns than operators. But NAFEM spokesman Charlie Souhrada said he hadn’t heard any feedback from industry members.

The EPA said it currently doesn’t perceive PFOA as harmful, but that could change with more research. “The information that we have available does not indicate that the routine use of household products poses a concern,” said Susan Hazen, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “At the present time, the EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using products because of concerns about PFOA.”

Based on some undisclosed results of initial studies, though, the EPA had enough concerns about the chemical that it instituted the global stewardship program, asking eight companies to voluntarily reduce 95 percent of emissions and products containing PFOA by 2010, with virtual elimination by 2015, according to Enesta Jones, EPA spokeswoman. So far, DuPont is the only company that has signed on, but the deadline to join is March 1. 

DuPont said in a news release that it did not “believe that there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial-related products made from PFOA.” They said the FDA-approved cookware made with Teflonw is “totally safe for everyday consumer and commercial use.” Still, the company has stopped producing new products with Teflon in an effort to phase them out, Jones said.

The main concerns about PFOA stems from a 2003 EPA assessment that found the chemical is very persistent in the environment, showing up in low levels in the blood of the general population, and that it could be the cause of liver tumors in rats. “We do know it is an issue of concern,” Jones said. “But there are a lot of scientific uncertainties at this point.” The EPA developed the Stewardship Program, therefore, just to be safe, she said. 

Joe Phillips, general manager of food equipment and electrical certification for NSF International, said he believed PFOA in nonstick products only pose a risk in the production of the material. “It is really not a problem in the finished product,” he said. Phillips added that nonstick material has been reviewed against NSF Standard 51and meets FDA requirements.

DuPont says its products are safe, but warns consumers against heating Teflonw-coated products to more than 500 degrees F. They have found that at 660 degrees F., the product decomposes and has a greater potential of releasing PFOAs. Jones, when asked about nonstick cook- and bakeware in the foodservice industry where temperatures often reach that level, said she wasn’t sure of the effects. “That’s part of the studies,” she said.

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