Teflon - Miracle Invention or Murderous Chemical
The term Teflon may (0) …A… to mind harmless non-stick cookware, but its invention and development as a material is more nefarious. It was first invented by accident in 1938, and (1) ……… after, it became widely used in cooking utensils and clothes due to its ability to resist heat and stains (2) ……… ease.
However, the production process for making Teflon involved chemicals known as PFAS, which we now call “forever chemicals”, because they (3) ……… to biodegrade naturally. These substances can be found in water, soil, and even in the blood of living organisms like ourselves. In fact, scientists estimate that over 99% of the world population is currently infected. Dupont, the inventor of Teflon, and 3M discovered these chemicals and the damage they cause to living organisms in an internal investigation as early as the 1960’s, but neither company (4) ……… the need to alert the public or stop production.
When Linda Birnbaum, Philippe Grandjean, and Steve Weihe discovered this in the early 2000’s, they couldn’t ignore the problem. They (5) ……… their minds to (6) ……… steps and inform the public. For too long, the industry had done nothing (7) ……… focus on profit.
Now, researchers are working to reduce PFAS pollution and prevent (8) ……… harm to the environment — a challenge that remains urgent today.
