An Overlooked Gem among Poisons

PFCs and PFOA: Convenience with a Stunning Price

Sometimes you wonder if one can escape from the things we make. We buy things and often forget the
consequences of our actions. There I was looking at my new business suit and realizing that it used a
stain proof chemical coating. A mistake I regret now after digging deeper into the world of perflourinated
chemicals (PFCs). Chemicals like perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA) or PFCs have environmental and
human health impacts that make one wonder just how wise we are by depending on so many artificial,
untested chemicals.

Uncut and Commercial Free

Dr. Herbert Needleman, a pediatrician and psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh stated that, "We are
conducting a vast toxicological experiment in which our children and our children's children are the
experimental subjects."1 PFCs pollute the blood of over 90% of North Americans2 . Beyond North
America, they affect people on four different continents3 and of animals all over the world including
birds, fish, dolphins and turtles to name a few4 . This isn’t surprising since 11 to 14 million kg of PFCs
enter the environment per year globally5, spreading and settling wherever the Earth’s winds6 take it.
PFOA, PFCs and other C-8 chemicals help make many of the products that we know today especially
those with non-stick coatings. This includes cookware, utensils, food packaging, fabrics (like Gore-Tex),
carpets and anything else that can be stain, grease or water-resistant 7. PFOA is one of two final
breakdown products for all PFCs. Even sunlight cannot shatter PFOA 8. Every ounce of PFCs that we
make stays in the environment FOREVER9. Yes, that is right - FOREVER. PFCs are as tough as
diamonds apparently10.

Nothing in nature is supposed to be forever and that is the sobering realization here: every molecule of
PFOA can come back to haunt our children’s health now and in the future for centuries to come. Even
DDT or PCBs are not as enduring by a long shot. 11 It takes an adult nearly four and a half years to get rid
of just half of these PFCs in their blood with no guarantee he/she will not take in more all the while12.
Since it lasts forever, it builds up in the soils13, landfills14, city sewage 15, the rest of the environment and
the food web16 . Arctic animals (i.e. polar bears, Figure 1) for example, double the amount of PFOA in
their blood every four years17. If it keeps coming back, can you really ever get it out of your system as it
circulates throughout the land?
Figure 1 Concentration profiles of major PFCAs in polar bear liver (CEMN 2004)

Blood Diamonds?
“The first source of exposure is from air pollution. The second source of exposure is through consumer
products and the third one is food,” said Kathleen Cooper, Senior Researcher at the Canadian
Environmental Law Association18. Two pilot studies found PFOA in tap water, outdoor air, green beans,
apples, bread and ground beef from Toronto to Florida 19. PFCs are easily absorbed and broken down in
our bodies into PFOA and its devilish sister, PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid). Both build up in
various parts of the body including the blood and the liver 20. Rick Smith, Executive Director of
Environmental Defence had found that “kids had higher levels of the new non-stick, flame retardant
chemicals than their parents did.” 21 “It means that we are repeating the same past mistakes that happened
with DDT and PCBs,” said Dr. Smith at the 2007 Growing Up Organic Conference22. According to
studies reviewed by the Environmental Working Group, 19 out of 20 children tested had PFOA in their
blood23 (Figure 2). How could PFCs be so insidiously widespread among our youth as if they were frying
pans24 ?

Figure 2 Studies have found that 19 out of 20 children have blood contaminated with perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA).
(EWG 2003)

Many fingers are pointing at DuPont’s “Zonyl” chemical (a PFC) used for “grease and waterproof paper
containers for hundreds of popular food items” 25. We are talking about things like French fry or pizza
boxes to cookie or doughnut packages, candy wrappers and microwave popcorn bags26 (Figure 3). Health
Canada claims that packaging used in Canada does not have any Zonyl PFOA. “We import many goods
from the US and other countries that do not stop its use however,” stated Dr. Kapil Khatter, Pollution
Policy Advisor for Environmental Defence27. At this moment, I imagine how much food kids are eating
that have touched this chemical coating. In 2007 Dr. Scott Mabury, a chemistry professor at the
University of Toronto and Jessica D’eon proved that PFCs used in paper packaging broke down into
PFOA and even more poisonous relatives in the blood stream28.

Figure 3 An example of food packaging that can have the Zonyl PFC chemical coating (i.e. pizza boxes). (Fields 2003)

Who Says a Girl’s Best Friends Are Diamonds?

The rising evidence of human health impacts continue to grow for even very low levels of exposure to
PFOA and related PFCs. There is an increasing cancer risk29 in both animals and humans. For example,
testicular, breast and liver cancer have been on the rise in the US during the past 3 decades. PFOA can
wreak havoc on hormones that allow us to produce healthy children, causing birth defects or affecting
brain development, hearing, growth, weight 30 and more31. PFOA could cause high cholesterol, leading to
heart attack, and stroke as a result 32. Any dose of PFOA can damage the immune system. The chemical
is more toxic to babies and infants than adults because they are still developing. A recent 2007 study has
shown that PFCs can leave the blood of pregnant mothers and enter their child through breast milk
causing substantial exposures (Figure 4) 33. Mix in the other 23000+ untested chemicals used in our
products and the picture becomes infinitely messier34.
Figure 4 PFCs can pass from the mother’s blood into breast milk (Field 2007)

Taking a Crack at the Stone

The government is ultimately responsible to the public it is supposed to represent, protect and serve.
“The Canadian government is working on an action plan to deal with PFCs and PFOA,” mentioned Dr.
Khatter35. There are things however that you can do in the mean time36:

1. Stop using Teflon and other non-stick items if possible. If you have to use these products, don’t
leave them untended and unfilled for longer than 2-3 minutes or they begin emitting PFC fumes
that can also kill pet birds37

2. When you buy furniture or carpets, stay away from stain or dirt resistant options. Find products
that are not chemically pre-treated and get to know your retailer.

3. Avoid buying clothes with Teflon or water, stain or dirt proof qualities.

4. Eat less packaged food or greasy fast foods as they might be in PFC coated containers. Buy more
unpackaged, unprocessed fresh local and organic food if possible.

5. Avoid cosmetics or other products with the words “fluoro” or “perfluoro” on the ingredient list.
Keep an eye out when looking at lotions, pressed powders, nail polish and shaving cream.

“The public is way out in front,” said Cooper, “Evidence keeps getting reported and they’re switching to
glass, stainless steel and other alternatives.”38 Only you, the passionate and thoughtful reader, have the
power to change this situation by keeping up the pressure on your MPs, supporting bans on chemicals and
pesticides and spreading this information to friends and family. It is time to hold our leaders and
businesses accountable because you deserve a cleaner world where your children grow up healthy and
strong. At the same time, I will promise you that I will never buy another stain proof suit ever again. Too
bad, I didn’t write this article before I had bought the suit.
Sunny Lam

Sunny Lam is an environmental consultant, researcher, writer and food activist (http://web.mac.com/
sunny.lam). He holds a Masters degree in Environmental Studies from Queen’s University and
specializes in urban agriculture, strategic planning, survey and data analysis. Sunny is a founding
member of the Farmers Market @ Queen’s and former volunteer co-organizer with Food Down the Road.
Sunny is actively involved with Canadian Organic Growers Toronto chapter. Sunny can be reached by
email (sunny.lam@rogers.blackberry.net) or Facebook.

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1 Cooper 2007
2 Wiles 2005
3 PACEWIU 2006
4 PACEWIU 2006, NTN 2006, Martin et al. 2003
5 Mabury et al. 2005
6 NEA 2004, Syke 2004, Poulsen et al. 2005, EWG 2003, Santillo et al. 2006, Ellis et al. 2004, CEMN 2004
7 EWG 2003
8 EWG 2003
9 EPA 2003
10 Mabury et al. 2005
11 EWG 2003
12 Burris et al. 2002
13 Liu and Lee 2005
14 Syke 2004
15 Syke 2004
16 Mabury et al. 2005, Butenhoff 2005, Poulsen et al. 2005, Liu and Lee 2005
17 Ellis et al. 2004
18 Cooper 2008
19 EWG 2003
20 Poulsen et al. 2005, Bakker et al. 2005
21 Rick 2007
22 Rick 2007
23 EWG 2003, Fields 2003
24 Srinivas and Shaik 2007, EWG 2003
25 Wiles 2005
26 Wiles 2005
27 Khatter 2008
28 D’eon and Mabury 2007
29 Amrute et al. 2006, EWG 2003
30 Srinivas and Shaik 2007
31 Poulsen et al. 2005, Fei et al. 2007, EWG 2003
32 Korzeniowski et al. 2004
33 Fields 2007
34 Cooper 2007, 2008
35 Khatter 2008
36 EWG 2003, Cooper 2008, Rick 2007
37 Srinivas and Shaik 2007
38 Cooper 2008