Document 4R4RQJX64DNV5Rw77Rrd8xoV

From: To: CC: Sent: Subject: Attachments: sheinson Fred Williams Hunstad Mary P NSSC; Satterfield David B NSSC; McCrory Dennis M NSSC; Robert Darwin (E-mail); Barylski Doug J NSSC 4/21/2003 8:16:33 PM Re: Awashingtonpost.com article from: hunstadmp@navsea.navy.mil PFOA FR Notice 4-16-2003.pdf Here is the EPA "report" as an attachment. Do note that while this EPA notice is for PFOA which is specifically an eight (Octyl) carbon chain backbone, all PFAAs or PerFluoroAlkyl Acids have some toxicity, with toxicity increasing for longer chain length. This is important as the 3M AFFF had a mixture of various chain lengths centered around eight, and the telomer process AFFFs are more sharply centered around six. Statements are being made by some "telomer process" people that the six carbon fluorocarbons cannot make PFOA. This is true, but not the whole truth as PFHA, PerFluoroHexanoic Acid (six carbons vice eight) would result from their product degradation and while less toxic, will probably still be a concern. Ron At 02:30 PM 4/21/2003 -0400, Fred Williams wrote: F ro m : Hunstad Mary P NSSC <HunstadMP@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL> T o : Satterfield David B NSSC <SatterfieldDB@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL>, McCrory Dennis M NSSC < McCroryDM@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL>, "Fred Williams (E-mail)" <fwilliam@ccsalpha3.nrl.navy.mil>, "Robert Darwin (E-mail)" < bdarwin@haifire.com>, Barylski Doug J NSSC <BarylskiDJ@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL> S u b je c t: FW: Awashingtonpost.com article from: hunstadmp@navsea.navy.mil D a te : Mon, 21 Apr 2003 13:17:59 -0400 X -M a ile r: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) >> To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26045-2003Apr14.html >> EPA Probes Widely Used Chemical >> By Eric Pianin The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday launched an expedited investigation of a chemical compound widely used for decades in m anufacturing Teflon-coated cookware, water- and stain-resistant clothing, co s m e tic s and scores of other products, to determine whether it poses a s e rio u s health risk to women of childbearing age and young girls. >> The chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is toxic and persistent in the environm ent and has been detected in small doses of the bloodstreams of the v a s t majority of humans tested for it. There has been growing concern about t h e effects of this compound for several years, but yesterday's announcement su g g e s te d the government is taking the problem more seriously and eventually m ig h t regulate the chemical. >> EPA officials became highly concerned late last year after reviewing a s tu d y by 3M, which once manufactured PFOA. It found that laboratory rats e x p o s e d to the synthetic chemical lost weight and experienced delayed sexual m aturation , and that an inordinate number of their offspring died prem aturely. >> US00002928  Now officials say they are conducting the most extensive scientific assessm e n t yet of the perfluorochemical family to determine whether the substa n ce s may cause comparable sexual reproductive and developmental damage t o women and girls. PFOA has also been linked to testicular, liver and p a n c re a tic cancer in animals, and EPA officials will investigate whether the ch e m ic a l may be carcinogenic in humans. >> "The fact that PFOA is present in humans is of interest and concern to us," s a id Stephen L. Johnson, assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of P revention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. "How the levels in humans do or d o n 't relate to the laboratory animal effects we are seeing is what we're try in g to sort out." >> Johnson and other EPA officials cautioned, however, that there is much they d o n 't understand about the effects of PFOA, and that the EPA may be many m o n th s away from determining whether the chemical poses an unreasonable p u b lic risk. >> Sensitive to the potential economic effects the investigation could have on t h e multibillion-dollar perfluorochemical industry, Johnson repeatedly told re p o rte rs that "the EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers t o stop using any consumer or industrial related products." >> Until recent years, the EPA paid relatively scant attention to the chem ica l, which is used to produce such world-famous brands as Teflon, S tainm aste r, Scotchgard and Gore-Tex, despite environmentalists' warnings th a t it might eventually rival DDT, PCBs and dioxin as a dangerous global ch e m ic a l contaminant that is impossible to eradicate. >> "The public should have known about problems with this Teflon chemical 30 y e a rs ago," said Kris Thayer, senior scientist for the Washington-based Environm ental Working Group. "What's outrageous is that the law governing to x ic chemicals allows DuPont and other big companies to pollute our blood a n d environment first, and get around to asking basic scientific questions d e ca d e s later." >> Delaware-based DuPont and three other overseas chemical companies m anufactu re PFOA, which is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of substa n ce s that keep food from sticking to pots and pans, that repels stains o n furniture and rugs, and that makes rain roll off coats. Industry makes u s e of the slippery, heat-stable properties of these chemicals to m anufactu re everything from airplanes and computers to cell phones, co s m e tic s and household cleaners. >> Yesterday, DuPont reaffirmed its position that there is no evidence indicatin g adverse human health effects related to low levels of exposure to PFOA. >> "We share the EPA's desire to safeguard human health and the environment, a n d respect the position that there are still questions to be addressed," s a id Richard Angiullo, vice president and general manager for DuPont Fluoroproducts. "DuPont, along with other companies, has voluntarily co m m itte d to EPA to provide the necessary research to help address those questio n s. We also have led industry in reducing emissions of PFOA." Manufacturers including DuPont are not required to monitor or report em issio n s of PFOA or related chemicals into the air, water or landfills b e c a u s e the compound is not regulated under the federal Toxic Substances C o n tro l Act. >> In May 2000, 3M Co. announced that it would stop making many of its w e ll-kn o w n Scotchgard stain-repellent products after finding that one of the ch e m ic a l compounds used to make the products - perfluorooctane sulfonate - US00002929  p e rs is ts in the environment and is found widely in the bloodstreams of p e o p le worldwide. 3M also stopped manufacturing PFOA , leaving the U.S. m a rk e t to DuPont. >> As part of its action, the EPA formally released a preliminary risk assessm ent, raising concerns about the potential links between PFOA and reprod u ctive and developmental problems in women. The agency also invited in d u s try groups, environmentalists and other interested parties to help n e g o tia te one or more consent agreements concerning the control of small fluorine-containing synthetic substances called "telomers," which may m e tab o lize or degrade into PFOA. > >Dr Frederick W. Williams >Director >Navy Technology Center for Safety and Survivability >Code 6180 >Naval Research Laboratory >Washington, DC 20375 >tel 202 767 2476 >fax 202 767 1716 >email fwilliam@ccs.nrl.navy.mil >www. chemistry, nrl.navy.mil/6180 Dr. Ronald S. Sheinson, Head voice (202) 404-8101 Combustion Dynamics Section DSN 754-8101 Naval Research Laboratory, Code 6185 fax (202) 767-1716 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW DSN 297-1716 Washington, DC 20375-5342 Email sheinson@code6185.nrl.navy.mil web page http://www.chemistry.nrl.navy.mil/6180/6185.html US00002930