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PFOA Free Environment

INTRODUCTION In January 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approached the eight largest fluorocarbon producers and requested their participation in the 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program, and their commitment to reduce PFOA and related chemicals globally in both facility emissions and product content 95 percent by 2010, and 100 percent by 2015. Recently, scientists have found great concern, however, as levels of PFOA have been commonly found in many in humans accross the globe and concerns abound about how exposure to PFOA could affect people's health. What is PFOA? Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been a manufactured perfluorochemical and a byproduct in producing fluoropolymers. Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. PFOA was used particularly for manufacturing polytetrafluoroethylene, but since 2002, manufacturers have used a new process not requiring this chemical. PFOA persists in the environment and does not break down. PFOA has been identified in bodies of water and in a variety of land and water animals. PFOA is a large molecule with excellent adhesion properties that has proven its durability, as well as its water and oil repellency over many years. Many companies working to eliminate PFOA from their supply chains have experimented with C6 and C4 molecules, cousins of C8 with a significantly shorter biological half life. C6 is closest chemically to C8, but it contains no PFOA. It breaks down in the environment a positive trait but it doesnt stick as well to outerwear and it doesnt repel water and oil as well as C8, which means it falls short of meeting a vague industry standard, as well as individual company standards for durability and repellency. PFOA content below limit of detection (< 3 ppb) Definition of PFOA-free: Content of PFOA is less than limit of detection (5ppb).

Chemistry of PFOA

Perfluorooctanoic acid

IUPAC name pentadecafluorooctanoic acid Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), commonly known as C8 and perfluorooctanoate, is a synthetic, stable perfluorinated carboxylic acid and fluorosurfactant. PFOA stands for a man-made chemical which does not occur naturally in the environment. PFOA (also known as "C8"). The typical structure has a linear chain of eight carbon atoms. The carboxylate "head" of PFOA is hydrophilic while the fluorocarbon tail is hydrophobic and lipophobic. The "tail" is hydrophobic due to being non-polar and lipophobic because fluorocarbons are less susceptible to the London dispersion force than hydrocarbons. The PFOA derivative that is most widely used and therefore of most concern is the ammonium salt (APFO). PFOA has been produced since the 1940s in industrial synthesis. It is also formed by the degradation of precursors such as some fluorotelomers.

Application of PFOA

PFOA has widespread applications. In 1976 PFOA was reported as a water and oil repellant "in fabrics and leather and in the production of floor waxes and waxed papers"; however, it is believed paper is no longer treated with perfluorinated compounds, but instead with fluorotelomers with less than 0.1% PFOA. PFOA is used as a necessary processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers. Fluoropolymers have many valuable properties, including their fire resistance and ability to repel oil, stain, grease and water. This makes them ideal for use in providing a nonstick surface for cookware an protective coatings on clothing. Also, Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), fully fluorinated organic compounds, have been widely used in consumer products (carpets, furniture, household cleaner, fabrics, and paper products), and manufacturing processes (industrial surfactants and emulsifiers). One industrial application is as surfactant in the emulsion polymerization of fluoropolymers. PFOA is indefinitely persistent in the environment. Why E-Concern? Since it has a wide variety of industrial uses and since manufacturers use it around the world, scientists have found PFOA globally in the environment. It is one of the most predominant perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the environmentalthough it tends to be more concentrated in more populated areas and industrial regions. PFOA can be detected in Atlantic and Pacific oceanic water and coastal seawater. Even in deep waters (4,000-4,400 meters) of the Central to Eastern Pacific Ocean, concentrations range from 45-56 parts per quadrillion (pg/L), confirming widespread distribution of PFOA. Toxicological behavior A number of studies on acute, short term, and longer-term toxicity of PFOA on various species suggest developmental toxicity, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, and carcinogenicity in test animals. In people, it is detected in the blood of general populations in the low parts per billion range where single studies have associated it with infertility, higher cholesterol, and thyroid disease. In highly exposed groups, some studies have associated PFOA exposure with birth defects, increased cancer rates, and changes to lipid levels, the immune system and liver effects identified in animals. Additionally, exposure can cause irreversible changes in adult mice brains, resulting in such altered spontaneous behavior as reduced/lack of habituation and hyperactivity. It has been demonstrated in some fish (for example, Gobiocypris rarus, the "rare minnow") that PFOA can act as an endocrine disruptor, by inhibiting genes responsible for the formation of thyroid hormones as well as by inducing estrogen-responsive genes significantly. Consistent with toxicological studies linking PFOA with lower birth rates in mice and rats, a recent epidemiological study found a relationship between lower birth weight in humans and concentration of PFOA in umbilical cord serum.

Hazard identification and characterization study of PFOA PFOA is readily absorbed after oral exposure. In treated animals the highest concentrations of PFOA are found in liver, kidney and blood. Estimated elimination half-lives are < 24 h in female rats, < 9 days in male rats, 21 and 30 days for male and female Cynomolgus monkeys, respectively, and about 3-8 years in humans. PFOA can cross the blood brain barrier. It can also cross the placenta and thus be transferred to the fetus. PFOA can also be transferred to the offspring via lactation, although the levels in breast milk are approximately one tenth than those in the maternal plasma. In animal experiments, the critical effects of PFOA are on the liver, including hypertrophy, changes in enzyme activities, and absolute or relative liver weight increases and developmental effects. PFOA interferes with fatty acid metabolism and may deregulate metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins. PFOA induces liver tumours in rats but there are no indications of a genotoxic potential. Epidemiological studies in PFOA-exposed workers do not indicate increased cancer risk. Some have shown associations with elevated cholesterol and triglycerides or with changes in thyroid hormones, but overall there is no consistent pattern of changes. In two recent studies, PFOA exposure of pregnant women, measured by maternal and/or cord serum levels was associated with reduced birth weight.

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