DuPont pledged its commitment to the 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program announced by the EPA, the company has announced.
The EPA says PFOA is an essential processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers, which are used in the manufacture of a wide range of non-stick and stain-resistant surfaces and products. PFOA may also be produced by the breakdown of fluorotelomers, which are used to impart water, stain, and grease resistance to carpets, paper and textile.
PFOA is persistent in the environment, it has been detected in low levels in wildlife and humans, and animal studies conducted have indicated effects of concern.
"The science is still coming in, but the concern is there so acting now to minimize future releases of PFOA is the right thing to do for our environment and our health," said Susan B. Hazen, acting assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. "EPA is pleased to provide companies the opportunity to step up to the plate and demonstrate their leadership in protecting our global environment."
Participating companies will commit to reduce by 95 percent facility emissions and product content levels of PFOA, PFOA precursors, and higher homologue chemicals, by no later than 2010, with the year 2000 as the baseline for measuring reductions. The program also calls for companies to commit to work toward eliminating these sources of PFOA exposure five years after attaining the 95 percent reduction but no later than 2015.
Also, participants are being asked to provide their commitment to EPA by March 1, 2006, and to submit their year 2000 baseline numbers for emissions and product content to EPA by Oct. 31, 2006. Annual public reports on their progress toward the goals will be due in October of each successive year. To ensure comparable reporting of reductions, participating companies must commit to work with EPA and others to develop and agree upon analytical standards and laboratory methods for these chemicals. EPA will also initiate efforts to add PFOA and related chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to help monitor the results of the stewardship program.
About fluoropolymers: fluoropolymers are used in architectural fabrics; chemical processing piping and vessels; automotive fuel systems; telecommunications and electronic wiring insulation; and computer chip processing equipment and systems -- in addition to consumer products such as cookware and apparel. The aerospace, transportation and electronics industries rely on products manufactured using PFOA for purity, reliability and durability of many of their key systems.
About fluorotelomers: fluorotelomer derivatives are a family of compounds used as ingredients in making firefighting foams and coatings because of their unique properties. They also are intermediates, or building blocks, used to manufacture stain-, oil- and water-resistant additives for some textiles, paper, coatings and other surfaces.
