Research ties PFOA phase-out with drop in low birth weights

Abstract

November 29, 2017 New York University (NYU) researchers are reporting findings that show a correlation between the voluntary phase-out that the chemical industry negotiated with EPA in 2006 for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the chemical used to make non-stick substances, and a drop in the number of babies with low birth weights. The Washington Post reported Nov. 28 on research, published this month in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, that estimates the proportion of low birth weights attributable to PFOA and associated costs in the United States from 2003 to 2014.