Environmentalists have called for the withdrawal of a chemical which is the key ingredient in the manufacture of Teflon.
Perfluorooctanoic Acid is a chemical invented prior to 1981 before testing was invented
Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) is a chemical invented prior to 1981 before testing was invented. The chemical is made by DuPont who recently agreed to settle out of court in a lawsuit brought by residents around their West Virginia Plant. The lawsuit claimed PFOA had contaminated local water supplies and led to all manner of health problems including genetic deformities. Friends of the Earth claim PFOA leads to birth defects.
Last year the British Government called for a sister chemical, PFOS, to be withdrawn. However PFOA has had nowhere like the volume of testing on it that PFOS had.