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[출처 : EPA 홈페이지]
PFOA는 인공화합물로 C8이라고도 불리고, 널리 쓰이고 있습니다 (Fire resistance, oil, stain, grease, water repellency). 특히, 요리도구, 방수 옷 등에 사용되고 있습니다.
하지만 1990년대에 PFOA의 Impurities때문에 인체에 축적되고 독성이 있다는 것으로 밝혀지고, PFOA는 인체뿐만 아니라 환경에도 장기 축적된다고 미국EPA(United States Environmental Protection Agency)에서 조사하였습니다.
EPA에서는 PFOA와 관련화합물(Perfluoro계열)의 방출을 줄이고, 억제하는 “2010/15 Stewardship Program”을 시행하기로 결정하였습니다.
2010/15 Stewardship Program
EPA는 8개 Major companies를 통해 2010년까지 PFOA와 관련화합물의 방출을 95%까지 제한
2015년까지는 100%제한하기로 결정하였습니다.
Background PFOA can also be produced by the breakdown of some fluorinated telomers, substances that are used in surface treatment products to impart soil, stain, grease, and water resistance. Some telomers are also used as high performance surfactants in products that must flow evenly, such as paints, coatings, and cleaning products, fire-fighting foams for use on liquid fuel fires, or the engineering coatings used in semiconductor manufacture. However, consumer products made with fluoropolymers and fluorinated telomers, including Teflon? and other trademark products, are not PFOA. Rather, some of them may contain trace amounts of PFOA and other related perfluorinated chemicals as impurities. The information that EPA has available does not indicate that the routine use of consumer products poses a concern. At present, there are no steps that EPA recommends that consumers take to reduce exposures to PFOA. In the late 1990's, EPA received information indicating that perfluorooctyl sulfonates (PFOS) were widespread in the blood of the general population and presented concerns for persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity. Following discussions between EPA and the 3M, the manufacturer of PFOS, the company terminated production of these chemicals. Findings on PFOS led EPA to review similar chemicals to determine whether they might present similar concerns. The agency began investigating PFOA in 1990s and found that it, too, is very persistent in the environment, is found at very low levels both in the environment and in the blood of the general U.S. population, and causes developmental and other adverse effects in laboratory animals. As described below, EPA has taken steps to further investigate PFOA and related chemicals as well as to reduce their emissions and use in products. However, given the scientific uncertainties, EPA has not yet made a determination as to whether PFOA poses an unreasonable risk to the public, and there are no steps that EPA recommends that consumers take to reduce exposures to PFOA. Provisional Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS In 2006, EPA and the eight major companies in the industry launched the PFOA Stewardship Program, in which companies committed to reduce global facility emissions and product content of PFOA and related chemicals by 95 percent by 2010 and to work toward eliminating emissions and product content by 2015.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a synthetic (man-made) chemical that does not occur naturally in the environment. PFOA is sometimes called "C8." Companies use PFOA to make fluoropolymers, substances with special properties that have thousands of important manufacturing and industrial applications. Fluoropolymers impart valuable properties, including fire resistance and oil, stain, grease, and water repellency. They are used to provide non-stick surfaces on cookware and waterproof, breathable membranes for clothing, and are used in many industry segments, including the aerospace, automotive, building/construction, chemical processing, electronics, semiconductors, and textile industries.
On January 9, 2009, EPA's Office of Water (OW) developed Provisional Health Advisories (PHA) for PFOA and PFOS to protect against potential risk from exposure to these chemicals through drinking water. Provisional Health Advisories serve as informal technical guidance to assist Federal, State and local officials in response to an urgent or rapidly developing drinking water contamination. They reflect reasonable, health-based hazard concentrations above which action should be taken to reduce exposure to these contaminants in drinking water. The PHA values are 0.4 µg/L for PFOA and 0.2 µg/L for PFOS. Theses values may be used to assess contamination and exposure at other sites. Provisional Health Advisories are not to be construed as legally enforceable federal standards and are subject to change as new information becomes available. Read more information on PFOA and PFOS Provisional Health Advisories here.
