The future of Teflon
Teflon has proved to be an extraordinarily useful item and will no doubt continue to change peoples lives into the future. PTFE is fast becoming a necessity in peoples lives and is creating an impact on the world. As Teflon is found in a range of items from irons to certain clothing it will be continued to be used for many years to come, who knows what life changing Teflon invention is next?
However, some reports claim Teflon is toxic and dangerous to its users health and want it to stop being manufactured. A short while ago, an EPA advisory board of 17 scientists, unanimously recommended perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) be labeled a 'likely carcinogen' in humans. PFOA is used in the manufacturing of Teflon.
The EPA asked DuPont to phase out the use of PFOA. DuPont has agreed to take steps to make sure that by the year 2015, the chemical would not be released into the environment from its manufacturing plants, the problem for Dupont is, it cannot make Teflon without this chemical, though it says it is looking for a substitute.
At the moment there is no direct evidence to support that your Teflon appliances are dangerous and as far as the future goes, DuPont looks as though it plans to create Teflon for a long while to go.