Calif. Assembly OKs ban on chemical in food wraps

[The Straight Story]

Calif. Assembly OKs ban on chemical in food wraps

The California Assembly has reversed itself and approved a bill that would limit the amount of a chemical that has been linked to cancer and is used in food packaging.

The measure by Sen. Ellen Corbett, a Democrat from San Leandro, would allow no more than 10 parts per billion of a compound known as PFOA in fast-food wrappers, pizza boxes, beverage containers and other food packaging.

The Environmental Protection Agency considers PFOA potentially carcinogenic and says businesses should voluntarily stop using it by 2015.

A Corbett spokeswoman said the bill would make California the first state to essentially ban use of the compound in food containers.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D92RBHS00.htm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. That's great but can't they get rid of all of it?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. You may be familiar with PFOA by its trade name.

Teflon.

[jmowreader]

6. Teflon is PTFE, not PFOA

PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), an emulsifier, is used to make Teflon, but it's NOT Teflon. IIRC, it's used to "polish" the Teflon.

Fun fact: The only plant in the United States that makes PFOA is in Fayetteville, NC--yes, right where I am. They make a number of other chemicals here. My pee phsophoresces. Is this a bad thing?

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. Cool, only 6 more years of poisoning to go!

lol

[ourbluenation]

4. Now if they could just pass a goddam budget that would br great. n/t

[kestrel91316]

5. I am in the process of removing as much plastic as possible from my kitchen,

whether it be utensils or food packaging or dishes or storage ware. I NEVER microwave anything in plastic anymore (except occasional frozen dinners at lunch), and got rid of my teflon skillet over 25 years ago.

Plastic is not good to ingest, just like trans fats.