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Article: Teflon chemical to be added to list of toxic substances.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- January 25, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Michael Hawthorne
CHICAGO _ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to list a toxic chemical used to make Teflon alongside such well-known persistent pollutants as mercury, lead and PCBs, signaling increasing alarm about its effects on human health.
EPA officials also are increasing pressure on companies to stop using the chemical, called perfluorooctanoic acid, by asking DuPont and six other corporations to voluntarily eliminate PFOA and similar substances from plant emissions and products by 2015.
Regulators still are reviewing potential health risks of such chemicals, which have been used for more than half a century with ...