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In chapter three of the book c

   by Rick Smith and Bruce
Lourie, the authors travel to Parkersburg, West Virginia, a city also known as Teflon
town. They reveal the composition of Teflon and its chemical relatives, as well as its
positive properties and of course, its negative impact on the environment.

In the field of chemistry, Teflon or polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic

fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene. Its chemical relatives are commonly called PFCs or
perfluorinated compounds and have numerous uses. The grand American chemical
company DuPont commercialized the substance in 1945 although Roy Plunkett originally
invented this one in 1938. Today, Teflon is literally everywhere and that is precisely the
problem. (Lourie, p.69) We can find traces of this substance in Arctic and in the blood of
a large part of the American population. According to Scott Mabury, a chemist at the
University of Toronto, the reason behind the invading presence of Teflon is the fact that
the substance is a chemical that lasts almost forever; PFCs are extremely persistent and
resistant and few things can make them disappear or disintegrate; not the light, not the
heat and certainly not the gastric acids of our bodies.

However, most of the people don¶t acknowledge the many downsides of Teflon
since the substance has an unimaginable number of uses and desirable properties. For
example, Teflon is well known for its line of frying pans. It is also used to line popcorn
bags and is fireproof, water-repellent and provides a non-stick coating to pretty much
anything. It even holds the Guinness record of the world¶s slipperiest substance. On the
other hand, the same substance is greatly damageable for the environment as well as the
human beings and animals. Regardless of its useful and unique properties, it is a mildly
toxic chemical and is considered a likely carcinogen substance. PFOA is present in the
local air and water of Parkersburg and is causing many health problems. Researchers
have found that the perfluorinated compounds are present in many species and
ecosystems of North America since various products degrade into PFOA. Because the
city of Parkersburg is the main producer of PFOA, the writers decided to visit it and
examine the origin of such a deadly chemical. The saga began when DuPont started
dumping industrial waste on a land the company originally bought from a local farm. The
effects of the toxic waste spread to more then just the near by farm. Joe Kiger and some
residents were advised by the Lubeck Public Service District that PFOA had reached
their drinking water and so, the inhabitants filed a lawsuit against DuPont. The well-
known company was forced to pay a fine of $16.5 million since they violated ³the
requirement for companies to report to EPA substantial risk information about chemicals
they manufacture, process or distribute in commerce.´

Harry Deitzler litigated a second lawsuit against DuPont when he discovered that
two out of eight women exposed to PFOA in DuPont factories had children with the
exact same birth defect. Deitzler won his case and demanded $22 million for legal fees,
plus $106 million for settlement and treatment facilities. During the same trial, DuPont
agreed to pay $235 million to cover medical costs for victims if it was proven that PFOA
exposure was linked to diseases. Teflon was also being held responsible for killing birds
with its toxic fumes from factories or from simply heating the Teflon used on the non-
stick pans. The writers carried out an experiment for two days to try and prove the effect
of some products on the PFOA level in their blood.

Unfortunately, they were unable to see any change considering the short period of
time. However, Smith and Lourie strongly believed that a few weeks or even a month of
exposure would crank the level of PFOA in someone¶s blood. Hopefully, the Teflon era
will soon come to an end despite DuPont¶s claims that the substance is safe. In these
modern times, the population is becoming more environmentally conscious and more and
more people refuse to pollute our planet for one¶s comfort.