Story should take a closer look at new fluorinated coatings.
A story in the New York Times highlighted a scientific breakthrough in self-cleaning coatings that would reduce the need for detergents, but it did not ask questions about the potential toxicity of the new materials.
Anne Eisenberg's story "A clear coating, with green applications" in the January 16th New York Times discussed self-cleaning, oil-repellent polymer coatings and suggested that environmentalists would appreciate the new technology. Indeed, the scientists behind the invention found a clever way to reduce waste by cleaning glassware without soap – a clear eco-friendly benefit.
However, waste reduction is just one part of the environmentally benign equation. The equally important considerations of persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity were not explored in the article. A quick search of the patent literature indicates that the chemicals in the new coatings almost all incorporate fluorine as a component and thus are likely to be highly persistent in the environment and bioaccumulative in the food chain, with as yet unknown toxicity.
Many stories in the press over the past five years have raised concerns about two perfluorinated compounds with similar molecular structure, PFOS and PFOA. For decades these molecules were used in stain repellents and in non-stick pans, and only now are scientists learning about their health risks, which include reproductive, thyroid and learning effects.
The story would have been improved with questions about how these molecules will interact with biological systems, including the human fetus. “Green Chemists” are beginning to work with environmental health scientists in efforts to understand the inherent hazards of chemical products and syntheses at the outset, before new materials are taken into the marketplace. It is likely that an interview of scientists working in this field would have quickly revealed concerns about fluorine chemistry.
