The “miracles of science” has brought on an era of super materials that are unaffected by extreme conditions and provide us many overlooked benefits that are a part of our everyday life. Clothing that resists open fire and moisture, gasses used to fuel your automobiles air conditioner, to plastics that release that fried egg from the fry pan with perfection. These discoveries made by DuPont can arguably yield some of the most significant products made by man in the 21st century. One among the many products, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, aka Teflon) is a synthetic fluoropolymer that can be used in a wide range of products. It’s extremely low coefficient of friction, and very hydrophobic and lipophobic characteristics are highly desired in its uses in non-stick coatings in cookware, and food packaging such as microwave popcorn bags. This characteristic is the cause of the aggregate effect of carbon-flouride bonds. As nearly every house hold has a non-stick pan being put to use on a daily basis, the safety of such a product should have been researched and presented when it was first developed in the 40s. It took nearly 50 years for any real concern of pyrolysis of PTFE to emerge to the public. Even now the effects of off-gases emitted from PTFE are still largely a mystery. Although many studies reveal that several gases are emitted, such as Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and Perfluoroisobutene (PFIB), the effects of these gasses from a toxicological standpoint is still a mystery to the public and unregulated by the EPA. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluoroisobutene (PFIB), are of the Perfluorinated compounds (PFC) family that refer to a class of organofluorine compounds that have all hydrogens replaced with fl... ... middle of paper ... ...tam. 2005, 22, 1023- 1031. Waritz, R.S, An industrial approach to evaluation of pyrolysis and combustion hazards. Enviormental Health Perspectives Vol. 11, p. 197 – 202, 1975 United States Enviormental Protection Agency. Provisional Health Advisories for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS). January 8, 2009. Stewart C.E. Weapons of mass casualties and terrorism response handbook. P.42-43. 2006. EPA.gov. 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program http://www.epa.gov/oppt/pfoa/pubs/stewardship/index.html Sinclair E, Kim SK, Akinleye HB, Kannan K. Quantitation of gas-phase perfluoroalkyl surfactants and fluorotelomer alcohols released from nonstick cookware and microwave popcorn bags. Environ Sci Technol. 2007;41:1180–1185. Clayton JW. Toxicology of the fluoroalkenes: Review and research needs. Environ Health Perspect. 1977;21:255–267.
3Brophy, L. (1959). The Chemical Warfare Service (1st ed.). Washington: Office of the Chief of
Every underground gas tank eventually leaks, and the gasoline is soaked up by the surrounding ground. MTBE is not soluble in water; therefore, when the gasoline leaks out of the tank, the MTBE pollutes the ground water (well water), and eventually the surface water also. In addition, though MTBE reduces the amount of most pollutants released from automobiles, it also produces a harmful pollutant, formaldehyde, when combusted [CECA]. Even worse, a study performed by a medical researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, shows that MTBE may be the cause of a seventeen percent increase in asthma among kindergarten students since it has been utilized in gasoline. The study also shows that MTBE has failed to improve smog levels in the years it has been in use [Jones].
"Chemical Warfare Agents - Resources on the health effects from chemical weapons, emergency response & treatment, counterterrorism, and emergency preparedness.au.af." Specialized Information Services - Reliable information on toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and minority health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921). Chemical warfare,. New York [etc.: McGraw-Hill book company, inc..
U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency. (2011, January 13). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from Summary of the Clean Air Act 42 U.S.C. §7401 et seq. (1970): http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/caa.html
In 1980, HFCS was introduced to the human diet and quickly took off with its high achie...
The environmental health problems described in this book are that phthalates, PFOA and PCBs are dangerous chemicals. We are exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis and they are common household products and hygienic products. We are also increasing our exposure levels, which can create negative health effects and affect our environment. The magnitude of the problem is enormous. Everybody uses and are exposed these products on a daily basis.
Another unique characteristic of Teflon is its weather resistance ("Teflon PTFE fluoropolymer resin" 29). In multiple trials, it was discovered that Teflon was dependable throughout fifteen years of different weather scenarios such as high heat, extreme cold, and ultraviolet rays. The resins coming from its fluoroethylene base also does not react with a majority of chemicals. There are a few exceptions such as fluorine in the gas state, extremely hot alkali metals, and some compounds like chlorine trifluoride and oxygen difluoride ("Teflon PTFE fluoropolymer resin"
Michael P. Broadribb, C. (2006). Institution of Chemical Engineers . Retrieved July 26, 2010, from IChemE: http://cms.icheme.org/mainwebsite/resources/document/lpb192pg003.pdf
Stephania A. Cornier, S. L. (2006). Origin and Helth Impacts of Emissons of Toxic By-Produts and Fine Particles from Combustion and Thermal Treatment of Hazardous Wastes. Environmental Health Perspectives, 810-817.
The objective of this research is to synthesize the compound 3-diazonium-4-(trifluorovinyloxy)-perfluorobutanesulfonyl fluoride zwitterion for polymerization and use as the electrolyte in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. As cleaner energy sources, PEM fuel cells produce 90% less pollution than fossil fuels. The target monomers are hypothesized to have three major components, these components are an aryl diazonium zwitterion, an aryl perfluoro vinyl ether moiety and a perfluoroalkyl (aryl) sulfonamide pendant. In addition, the compound’s perfluoroalkyl backbone increases the thermal and chemical stability and can increase the proton conductivity of the polymer. The diazonium zwitterion should chemically bond the monomer or polymer
Investigating Factors Affecting the Heat of Combustion of Alcohols PLANNING SECTION Introduction ------------ Alcohols are organic substances, and consist of Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon. All alcohols are toxic but the amount that can be tolerated by the human body varies for different alcohols. For example drinking small amounts of Methanol can lead to blindness and even death.
...terephthalic acid solubility in water increased linearly proportional with temperature. This situation happens due to the low dielectric constant nature in supercritical water, making it as a good solvent for non-polar substance like para-xylene. Therefore, it can be concluded that the reaction and yield of the reaction could be adjusted by the modification of reaction temperature. As shown in Table 1, the application of sub and supercritical water, could give a greater yield in terephthalic acid, >50%. However, the industrial implementation always demanding the practical application in terms of energy, nature of chemical and operation cost. Even sub and supercrical water could produce high amount of terephthalic acid, but the temperature and pressure applied in this application was far from safe and commercially practical.
High exposure to flame retardants has been correlated with multiple adverse effects on the human body, including disruption of hormones produced by the thyroid gland, hindering of the immune, reproductive, and nervous system, cancer, and dangerous effects on fetal and child development. (SD, 2017)
Microplastics carry various additives and harsh chemicals to give them their properties. Decades of research on the plastics used in grocery bags, liquid containers, and utensils have provided the public with useful information regarding their chemical makeup