PFOA: Information about the controversial chemical
The chemical PFOA is probably unknown to most people. You have probably already come into contact with it. We have summarized important information about the chemical.
PFOA - chemical not only for pan coating
The abbreviation PFOA stands for "Perfluorooctanoic Acid" or in German for Perfluorooctanoic Acid.
- They are representatives of the perfluorosurfactants. The chemical is characterized by both thermal and chemical stability. You don't mind UV radiation either, it doesn't weather either. This makes PFOA one of the most degradable and very durable substances.
- In the past, the material was used to coat pans. PFOA is also a material in the production of fluoropolymers.
- If the substance gets into the drinking water, it is absorbed by the human body. However, this does not only happen via drinking water. PFOA can also enter the body through air or food.
- According to the Federal Environment Agency, the chemical can be found in many foods. In addition to fish and meat, dairy products are also included. Once ingested, the chemical stays in the body for a long time.
- It is worrying that this type of chemical can also be detected in human blood, as well as in breast milk. PFOA is unable to change the genome. However, PFOA damages reproductive ability.
- It is not yet clear whether PFOA is carcinogenic. Studies from the USA see a connection between the substance and the occurrence of kidney or testicular tumors.
- In Traunstein, Bavaria, the public prosecutor's office deals with PFOA pollution, as does the Munich public prosecutor's office. Several citizens of Altötting had filed a criminal complaint because PFOA had apparently been in the drinking water for years through a local chemical plant. The PFOA concentration in the blood of some plaintiffs is probably significantly increased.
In our next article, we'll look at sulfuric acid and explain the properties and uses of the chemical.