Teflon Class Action

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an OPPT (Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics) Fact Sheet issued August 2004 maintains that it doesn’t believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using Teflon products. The EPA also states that PFOA is generally present in humans at very low levels; however, a specific source of PFOA is not known as it is used in the manufacture of many different products among them fire fighting foams; personal care and cleaning products; and oil, stain, grease, and water repellent coatings on carpet, textiles, leather, and paper. Nor is it known why or how humans have acquired PFOA in their bodies.

While PFOA has been linked to birth defects and cancer in laboratory studies conducted on animals, it is less obvious as to whether it or Teflon non-stick coatings present a health hazard when it comes to human beings. According to the Environmental Working Group, using a Teflon non-stick coating pan to cook in may cause flu-like symptoms such as headache, chills, and fever, if it is overheated to 680 degrees Fahrenheit, due to fumes that are emitted at these temperatures, which are hotter than those normally used in cooking or for example if the waters boils away and the pan is left on the stove. Researchers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also found trace amounts of PFOA when Teflon non-stick coatings on cookware have been subjected to conditions of extreme testing methods, which again are not typical of how most consumers use these products...