| Teflon Contamination Update
http://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/6/teflon_contamination_update.htm
By Richard ;Mesquita, AquaMD
(AquaMD is the water testing division of the American Water Council, a
nationally respected provider ;of water education and testing services.
AquaMD has teamed with Dr. ;Mercola to provide you both the free home
water evaluation and the Dr. Mercola water testing packages at
http://www.aquamd.com/mercola/labtests.cfm.)
Hard to believe, it's been almost 70 years since Teflon was first
introduced. Since its creation in 1938 by the DuPont Company, it has
been added to countless household and personal care products under the
sun besides non-stick cookware. To name a few:
;
; * Clothing (Gore-Tex jackets ;and other apparel)
; * Carpets
* Upholstery
;* Nail polish removers
* Eyeglasses
;* Pizza boxes
;
Because it was first introduced so many years ago, Teflon gained wide
distribution before scientists could determine its impact on our ;health.
Teflon ;in Drinking ;Water
Dupont manufactured Teflon one time or ;another at various chemical
plants in ;the United States. And, ;while ;it was clear to everyone that
a component of ;Teflon known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was found
in drinking water supplies near their chemical ;plant ;in West Virginia,
no one seemed to know about any contamination to public water supplies
surrounding their Ohio ;chemical plant.
In fact, Ohio's state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publicly
announced that PFOA was not found in drinking water supplies
surrounding the Dupont Ohio chemical plant. Yet, amazingly, just one
day after their announcement, federal EPA officials said they had
indeed found PFOA in that same drinking ;water.
Even worse, a federal EPA official involved ;with the discovery of that
PFOA-contaminated water said she was just not confident the feds ;would
get all the information they needed to pursue the matter completely.
And, to top it all off, despite ;all the warnings, ;Ohio's EPA continues
to tell residents they ;should not be concerned ;with the PFOA that is
in their water ...
;
Why Don't We Know More About the Health Effects of PFOA?
The federal EPA claims that for decades DuPont knew that ;PFOA was
being dumped into areas surrounding their plants and ;it was leaching
into water supplies, but they neglected ;to report it. On the other
hand, ;DuPont says ;it was unnecessary to report their findings to the
EPA under the law. That's why ;it wasn't until five years ago the feds
started investigating ;the risks of PFOA. What they are discovering is
pretty worrisome.
For example, they now know that once PFOA ;is released ;into the
environment, it doesn't quickly break down and ;disappear. Even when a
person exposed ;to PFOA cuts off all future exposure, it still takes
another 20 years for the body to get rid ;of that toxic substance, says
Tim Kropp, a toxicologist ;with the Environmental Working Group.
DuPont may be starting to see the light. Before the discovery of the
latest contamination, they settled one class-action lawsuit involving
PFOA contamination by agreeing to pay for tests to ;measure the ;level
of PFOA in blood samples of residents who live near their Teflon
manufacturing plants in the United States. They expect to spend $70
million on that testing. And depending on ;what's found, the ;company
may have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more to find out
exactly ;how PFOA is impacting people's health.
To settle another ;lawsuit, DuPont agreed to build a $100-million water
treatment plant to remove PFOA from the drinking water near one of
their facilities.
In yet another town, DuPont is now providing bottled water to 4,300
residents until they can install the right treatment systems ;to remove
PFOA from their water supply.
;
What We ;Do Know About PFOA
Based on ;tests ;performed on lab animals, an advisory panel of the
federal EPA has recommended PFOA be classified ;as a likely human
carcinogen.
A recent study has also ;found ;that people ;exposed to PFOA had a 10
percent ;increase in ;cholesterol levels and most of that ;was due to a
rise in bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Amazingly, there is no federal safe drinking water standard for ;PFOA
and the state EPA of West Virginia has set a lax standard that's based
on little meaningful research. ;In fact, the EPA of West ;Virginia
claims if the level of PFOA in your ;water ;supply is less than 150
parts per billion (ppb), it is safe for consumption.
But a recent study of 326 ;people who had been using water contaminated
with ;PFOA levels ;of only 2-7 ppb, had PFOA levels in their blood of
298–369 ppb.
How did that happen? ;As I mentioned before, once the PFOA toxin gets
into your system, it ;stays ;in your system. The more water you use, the
more PFOA that accumulates in your body!
Make Sure Your Water is ;Safe
This Teflon report is not an ;isolated incident. Our country is
littered with contaminated ;water ;supplies. And, in ;most cases, ;local
water companies tell their customers not to ;be concerned: "The water
is perfectly ;safe ... It meets all EPA standards ..." Often, however,
the water really isn't safe. Time and again, the safety standards they
reference are based on poor research and driven by ;big business. In
other cases, standards are ;non-existent.
Case in point, the ;threat posed by PFOA merits no federal safe
drinking water standard, even ;though the EPA believes ;PFOA is a likely
carcinogen.
Take time to ;find out what is in your ;water ;supply. If specific
contaminants are identified, ;you can install the right water treatment
system to care for your particular problem. ;You can then also meet
with your ;health care ;practitioner about treating any damage it has
done to your body.
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
Please don't fool yourself into thinking that ;you can tell your water
is ;safe by the way it ;looks, tastes, or ;smells.
Some contaminants in water are ;so harmful that they are measured in
"parts per million" or "parts per billion." In other words, just a
drop of these poisons added to gallons and gallons of water can ;be
very harmful.
Just installing a filter to purify your drinking water may not be
enough. You could still be exposed to contaminated ;water ;when you:
* Shower or bathe
* Wash your hands
; * Wash laundry
* ;Rinse ;fruits and vegetables
* ;Wash dishes, glasses, and other utensils
If you are unsure if your water is ;safe, ;I recommend ;you find out by
taking advantage of AquaMD's Diagnostic ;Service or their Direct
Laboratory Testing Services.
How AquaMD's Diagnostic Service Works
1. If your water is supplied by a water company or municipality:
You simply ;answer some ;brief, but pertinent questions in their online
questionnaire.
One of AquaMD's water diagnosticians will review your responses and
contact your water company to examine the laboratory tests they have
performed on your water supply.
;
AquaMD will provide you with a written report advising:
* If the water you are using is ;safe right now.
* If you ;need a specific water treatment system to ;remove the
contaminants found in your ;water.
; * If some limited additional ;laboratory tests should be performed
because your water company did not conduct them.
2. ;If your water is supplied by a ;private well:
You need to have your well water tested yourself at least once a year.
Since there are hundreds of contaminants ;you can test for, it is not
cost effective to test for every possible one.
You ;can take advantage of Dr. Mercola Lab Test Packages that I've
created with the help of ;AquaMD. You ;can also customize your ;own
packages to fit your needs.
I encourage you ;to find out if your water is safe by taking advantage
of AquaMD's services ;at AquaMD.com.
Related Articles:
How Your City Adds ;Chloramines to Your Tap ;Water
Cadmium Being Found in More and More Americans
The Danger Lurking in Your Shower
Beryllium: The Hidden Toxin in Your Water
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