The Environmental Appeals Board of the U.S. federal government has granted the DuPont corporation a three-year extension on its obligation to conduct a comprehensive assessment of a widely used chemical believed to expose consumers to the toxic substance perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
A number of studies have linked PFOA to health problems, with one more recent study linking it for the first time to infertility. The chemical, used to manufacture nonstick surfaces such as Teflon, has been found in the blood of people around the world. Under a voluntary EPA initiative, DuPont and a number of other companies have agreed to phase out all use of PFOA by 2015.