Glenn Evers, a former engineer for the manufacturer of the leading non-stick cookware brand, has accused the company of deliberately ignoring evidence that its grease-resistant coating on paper products may have been entering consumers' blood at high  levels.

PFOA

Evers first became concerned about the health effects of a perfluorinated chemical used for food packaging in 1987, when company tests showed it was dissolving into wet paper at much higher levels than the FDA had approved. When the paper coating is dissolved and absorbed into the human body, it breaks down into perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a likely carcinogen.

The manufacturer has denied Evers's allegations, The FDA will also soon decide how much to fine the company for failing to report for more than 20 years' possible health effects associated with PFOA.

Millions of Bags of Popcorn

Meanwhile, an FDA study has revealed that PFOA could be present in millions of bags of microwave popcorn. This alone could account for over 20 percent of the PFOA levels present in the average U.S. citizen.

Most Americans have 4-5 parts per billion of PFOA in their blood; the source has been largely unknown. Products such as non-stick cookware, which are produced by a process that uses PFOA, are thought to play a role.

Fluorotelomer Coatings

The FDA found that microwave popcorn bags are treated with more grease-repelling fluorotelomer coatings than any other food wrappers. Many of these coatings contain mixtures of long-chain chemicals that can be metabolized to PFOA.

A significant amount of the fluorotelomers transferred from the bags to the popcorn oil. Microwave popcorn bags are particularly dangerous, because not only is the amount of fluorotelomers in the coatings is high, but because popcorn bags get very hot, heating to more than 200 degrees Celsius in a short time. This significantly increases the chances of the fluorotelomers entering the food itself.

Environmental Science and Technology November 16, 2005

Washington Post November 17, 2005