News From USW: Union Alarmed: Solutions Needed to Prevent Teflon Chemical Contamination

News From USW: The United Steelworkers (USW) alerted union workers at FiberMark Holdings, LLC and the surrounding community in this upstate New York town that water testing indicates discharges from the facility may contain the controversial Teflon chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and other perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs).

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board has identified PFOA, which is used to make Teflon, a “likely” human carcinogen. Johns Hopkins University researchers found a link between PFOA and reproductive harms in newborns.

It is believed that the water contamination stems from the use of Zonyl, a grease and stain repellant applied to Fibermark products. Zonyl is a telomer manufactured by the DuPont chemical company. Studies show that telomers breakdown into PFOA after they are applied to products.

The USW obtained the water sample from the Lowville wastewater treatment plant where it discharges into Mill Creek. Fibermark discharges its wastewater directly to the Lowville wastewater treatment plant. Mill Creek empties into the Black River. Neither Fibermark or Lowville’s municipal treatment plant is required to test for PFOA.

Analysis of the water sample indicates a PFOA level of .085 parts per billion. This February, the State of New Jersey set its drinking water guidance level for PFOA at only .04 parts per billion after finding PFOA contamination in drinking water supplies across the state.

USW Local 1988 President Roger Turck said, “The International Union first brought the potential hazards of Zonyl to our attention in 2005. We told our plant management about our concerns back then. We tested 10 workers and found that all had PFCs in their blood, some with levels much higher than the general population.” According to USW Representative Mike Bellmore, the union is offering to work with the company to find a solution to the PFC contamination problem.

“Testing of employees at industrial facilities where PFC’s are present has revealed high PFOA blood levels and the contamination of nearby rivers, lakes, streams and public drinking water supplies,” said Bellmore. “DuPont’s PFC contamination has been the subject of multi-million dollar lawsuits settlements and a record EPA pollution fine. Communities in New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi and West Virginia communities are up in arms over this contamination.”

“It made sense to return to Lowville and test whether the chemicals had escaped here too,” said USW District 4 Director Bill Pienta. “Our members tell me that Fibermark runs its excess water through a treatment process before it gets discharged. Apparently Fibermark is missing PFOA and other related chemicals. Fibermark’s employees and downstream communities need to know that these chemicals are not going to be released to contaminate people or public waters.”

DuPont has announced that it will one day stop manufacturing PFOA and reduce its content in products. However, DuPont will not commit to a schedule of verifiable reductions, according to the USW.