Just one week after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called on U.S. manufacturers to phase-out production of a chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon, an independent scientific review has confirmed that the chemical is a "likely" carcinogen. The perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) used to make Teflon and other nonstick and stain-resistant products were shown to cause cancer in animals, according to the panel, which was established by the EPA's Science Advisory Board. "The predominant panel view was that the descriptor 'likely to be carcinogenic' was more consistent with currently available data, while a few panel members reached the conclusion that the current evidence fails to exceed the descriptor 'suggestive,' of carcinogenicity," the panel said in a draft report released Monday. A previous EPA study had said there was only "suggestive evidence" that PFOA was carcinogenic. Officials at DuPont Company, the sole North American producer of PFOA, disagreed with the panel's recommendation, and said they supported the EPA's earlier findings. "This reflects recommended classification; what's more important is risk, and we are confident that PFOA does not pose a cancer risk to the general public," said Robert Rickard, director of health and environmental sciences for DuPont. The EPA last week asked DuPont and seven other companies that manufacture or use PFOA, its precursors, and similar compounds to eliminate PFOA and related chemicals from emissions and products by no later than 2015. --SP 13 29 Local Time 10 29 GMT
