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By
Ernest
Shiwanov
n 2006, Stephen L. Johnson, administra-
tor at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, obtained commitments from
eight major producers of perfluorooctano-
atic acid (PFOA) to phase out its manu-
facture. The EPA’s aim was to eliminate
PFOA from “facility emissions and
product content” and other precur-
sors or similar chemicals that could break
down or function similar to PFOA. Known
as the 2010/15 Stewardship Program, the
agency’s goal targeted 2010 with a 95 percent
worldwide reduction of PFOA and to elimi-
nate it by 2015’s end.
So what? Why is that of interest to the
general public let alone the outdoor indus-
try? Well, EPA animal studies have shown
relationships between PFOA and “develop-
mental and other adverse effects in laboratory
animals.” A 2005 EPA Science Advisory Board
report found PFOA to be a likely human car-
cinogen. Additionally, The Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) lists thyroid dis-
ease, poor birth outcomes, Attention-Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and heart
disease/higher cholesterol to PFOA exposure.
Low IQ, learning disabilities and a host of
other problems also have been linked to in-
fants exposed, post and prenatally, to PFOA.
Worse, it appears low levels of PFOA have
been found throughout the environment and
in 98 percent of the general human population.
It is persistent over time in both humans and
the environment. The operative word here is
I
Inside
Outdoor
|
Spring
2015
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