Animals and pets are the sentinels of the environment. Pet birds were among the first to die an agonizing death from asphyxiation, while their owners suffered from severe flu-like symptoms. These “canaries-in-the-coal-mine” died from olytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE, (perfluorinated compounds are ingredients in PTFE) commonly used as a coating for non-stick cookware. When the cookware was heated to certain temperatures, the fumes coated the inside surface of the victims’ lungs, according to the Academies of Science Report.
Could chemicals like these be the reason why frogs, birds, bees, bats and fish are experiencing massive die-offs? They are the first-stage alarm to warn us about the potential risks we all face. We must take the first step toward protecting our health against toxic chemicals especially the perfluorinated chemicals that are indestructible in our environment. They never go away.
Senator Ellen Corbett of San Leandro has written Senate Bill 1313 in order to prohibit perfluorinated compounds and their precursors. We urgently need to contact our elected officials and tell them to endorse S.B. 1313. Here’s why:
Perfluorinated compounds have been used in a wide variety of consumer products (non-stick coatings for pots and pans, stain-proofing for clothing and carpets, and packaging for popcorn and other food). Perfluorooctaneic acid and perfluorooctane sulfate are currently accumulating in humans and wildlife worldwide (more than 98% of Americans surveyed have these compounds in their blood). These compounds never break down; they remain in our environment indefinitely.
The EPA Science Advisory Board links these chemicals to carcinogens that induce breast tumors in animals as well as problems with pregnancy and developmental complications in babies. Exposure to these chemicals also has been linked to alter reproductive hormones, thyroid and prostate cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
We need to start cleaning up the environment today in order to protect ourselves and the beautiful wild creatures, great and small. We are all at risk!
Contact Senator Sheila Kuehl at (916) 651-4023 and Assemblywoman Julia Brownley at (916) 319-2041 and insist that they endorse this important legislation immediately.
Cynthia Emminger