Manufacturers of Polymer Seals Say EPA Planning to Phase Out PFOA by 2015

Various Teflon manufacturers have announced that they will be removing non-stick coating on pans and on other products by 2015 or sooner. The decision was passed after reports of serious health effects that resulted in exposing Teflon to high heat came to light, specifically the emission of a gas with constituent chemical composition known as PFOA. Note that only Teflon derived from perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) will be affected. Those that are made with a virgin polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) base are still safe to use. In fact, PTFE is an active component in polymer seals and coatings that are used to contain hazardous materials in industrial settings. Of course, additional testing will be done to ensure that PTFE does not suffer from the same flaw as its predecessor. After all, safety should be the number one priority of such manufacturers, especially with tools that we rely on for everyday use.

http://www.advanced-emc.com/replacing-components-like-plastic-flange-bushing-root-cause-analysis-rca/