"Everyday consumer products such as stain repellants and paper coatings may be a 'significant source' of the toxic chemical C8, according to a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study.

Chemicals used in these consumer products could degrade, releasing C8 and related toxic substances, much faster than previously projected by DuPont Co. scientists, according to the new EPA study.

The EPA study estimated the breakdown rate of these 'fluoro-telomer polymers' to be 100 times faster than projected by the DuPont scientists in a study last year.

Both papers were published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology, and are part of the growing scientific research into C8 and other perfluorochemicals, or PFCs."

Ken Ward Jr. reports for the Charleston Gazette July 23, 2009. [2]