China will test Teflon, a product widely used on frying pans, in the wake of reports that it may pose health hazards, media reports said in Beijing on Tuesday.

China's product quality watchdog announced the plan on Monday after reports that Dupont, the US-based chemical giant that manufactures Teflon, did not disclose results from chemical tests related to the manufacturing of the product used on cooking pan surfaces.

"We will start tests soon because China is a huge market for the multinational," said a press officer with the general administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine.

This follows the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcing last Thursday that it would fine Dupont for failing to report test results regarding the synthetic chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), known as C-8.

PFOA is essential in the production of fluoropolymers and is a main ingredient in the manufacture of teflon.

The EPA also said Dupont conducted tests that showed C-8 was transmitted from a pregnant Dupont worker to her foetus and that traces of it were found in public drinking water in communities near Dupont facilities.

The company did not reveal any test results or even concede that it had conducted the tests.

Meanwhile, a public relations official of Dupont China said the company would actively co-operate with Chinese authorities.

Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont on July 8 announced in that it would file a formal denial to a complaint issued by EPA alleging that the company failed to comply with the technical reporting requirements of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) regarding PFOA.

Clarifying its stand, DuPont General Counsel Stacey J Mobley also said, "The evidence from over 50 years of experience and extensive scientific studies supports our conclusion that PFOA does not harm human health or the environment."

External Link: EPA Press Release