Not so fast says Red County Sacramento. Seems there is little evidence that the chemicals cause any harm; it’s found everywhere, yet there’s been ZERO reported incidence of health problems caused by the chemicals, even in young children. The chemicals are found in trace amounts in various non-stick packaging materials–materials necessary for the nation’s food delivery system and food freshness; finding substitutes that do not contin these substances will take time. Guess what–manufacturers are way ahead of Ms. Corbett.
PFOS and PFOA have been subject to health and safety studies and testing for years. PFOS was voluntarily phased out in the early 2000’s by the principal worldwide manufacturer, and the US EPA took regulatory action under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to limit any future manufacture or importation of related chemicals specifically included in that phase-out. The companies agreed to work toward eliminating emissions and the content of these chemicals in consumer products by 2015. The companies reported 2000 baseline information in October 2006. In October 2007, they provided the first reports of progress toward meeting their commitments. Three companies reported better than 98 percent reduction in emissions of PFOA in the United States. The US EPA reports that there has also been considerable progress in the development of substitutes and alternates.
