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Science 21 January 2005:
Vol. 307. no. 5708, p. 335
DOI: 10.1126/science.307.5708.335b
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ScienceScope

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has asked experts to help it assess the health dangers of a common chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

PFOA and related chemicals are used to make nonstick and stain-resistant coatings, including Teflon. The chemicals apparently do not break down in the environment and have been widely found in people and wildlife (Science, 10 December 2004, p. 1887). Little is known, however, about how people are exposed. EPA officials trying to assess PFOA's risks also face a host of technical issues, says Charles Auer, director of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, including how to compare blood levels in humans and animals.

So last week, the agency turned to its Science Advisory Board for guidance on how to address these problems. "We're trying to assess the science issues," Auer says. "We're not attempting to make a critical judgment of the risks." But toxicologist Timothy Kropp of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., says that EPA has left important issues off the table, such as the potential for breast and testicular cancers. "This is one of the largest reviews that EPA has embarked on in a long time," he says. "They need to give it a really thorough and fair review."

The advisory board will meet next month in Washington, D.C., to begin a review of EPA's proposed approaches that is expected to take several months.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)