No-stick cookware under fire
By Jiang Jingjing (China Business Weekly)
Updated: 2004-07-20 10:55

China's non-stick surface pans sector swings in the wind due to questions whether Teflon, the material used on the pans, is a health hazard or not.

A report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said earlier this month it may impose a fine on DuPont, the US-based chemical giant that manufactures Teflon for failing to report test results regarding the synthetic chemical Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA).

PFOA, a main ingredient in the manufacture of Teflon, may cause human health problems when heated to 450 degrees centigrade, experts suggest.

A shopper compares cooking pans, with non-stick surfaces, in a Shanghai supermarket. Experts suggest sales of such pans could fall in China amid reports the US Environmental Protection Agency might fine DuPont, the maker of non-stick, Teflon-coated pans, for failing to report test results involving its production process. Recent media reports have suggested Teflon could contain cancer-causing agents.[newsphoto]

The temperature of pans used according to the traditional Chinese cooking style which easily exceeds 200 degrees centigrade. At 260 degrees, PFOA starts to decompose into a substance that could possibly cause cancer, said an anonymous expert with China National Chemical Information Centre.

There are 70 domestic pot and pan manufacturers in China, and most of them use Teflon to produce non-stick surface pans, statistics from China Hardware Association (CHA) indicate.

Due to the low market entrance, insiders believe the actual number of such producers is much higher.

According to the CHA, the annual output of the non-stick pans hit 100 million, with 60 to 70 per cent exported.

A representative of ASD Electric Appliance Co Ltd, the country's leading cookware manufacturer in Taizhou, of East China's Zhejiang Province, said its sales have been influenced, but declined to reveal detailed figures.

Ji Keqin, manager of ASD's comprehensive management department, said the company is still selling the product, but it receives hundreds of calls from customers every day, asking whether Teflon was safe or not.

"We do not know how to answer them. On the one hand, chemical experts say PFOA is harmful. On the other hand, DuPont denies it. Who should we trust?" Ji questioned.

He said ASD has been looking for research institutions to investigate the threat, but it seems none has relevant equipment or technology.

DuPont China's public relations manager Xu Yang said the company's experience of over 50 years and extensive studies prove PFOA is not harmful to human beings or environment.

She told China Business Weekly the possible fine has nothing to do with the safety of the products, but rather about the administrative reporting procedures.

Zhejiang Supor Cookware Co Ltd published a statement on its company website quoting DuPont's notice as saying that Teflon is safe.

"Teflon has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"All Supor non-stick products have been approved by China Household Hardware Quality Inspection Centre.

"The EPA is inspecting PFOA, an ingredient used when producing Teflon, rather than the product itself," Supor's statement said.

An anonymous staff member revealed Supor is working on the issue with relevant government departments.

Currently the numerous cookware manufacturers, like ASD and Supor, are expecting the government to give a testing result.

The country's quality watchdog announced last week it would carry out its own inspection on Teflon.

"We will start tests soon," said a press officer with General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

But the administration is facing the same problem: It is hard to find a qualified institution to examine the material due to the limited equipment and technology, according to a report from China Youth Daily.

Xu of DuPont said the company will actively co-operate with Chinese authorities and offer any documents it needs.

She declined to tell whether the report may influence the domestic consumption of non-stick pans, but saying "the export of the utensils would not change, since there are not as many negative reports in other countries as in China."

Due to the relatively high price, most of the Teflon non-stick pans are consumed in more developed cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, said Shi Senglan, CHA's secretary-general.

DuPont said there is no legal basis for the EPA's allegations. DuPont General Counsel Stacey J. Mobley said the company has fully complied with statutory reporting requirements and it disputes any association between PFOA and harmful effects on human health or the environment.

The company will file a formal denial within 30 days to the EPA.

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