Lawsuit Investigation: Is Your “PFOA-Free” KitchenAid, Anolon Cookware Actually Toxic?
Last Updated on July 2, 2024
Investigation Complete
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At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who bought KitchenAid or Anolon non-stick cookware advertised as “PFOA free.”
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have reason to believe that certain cookware advertised as “PFOA free” may, in fact, contain the toxic chemical PFOA. Now, they’re looking into whether a class action lawsuit can be filed.
- What Is PFOA?
- PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) falls into a category of toxic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that can accumulate in both the environment and the human body, causing various health and environmental concerns.
- How Can a Lawsuit Help?
- A class action lawsuit could help KitchenAid and Anolon customers get back some of the money they spent on the cookware and potentially force the manufacturers to change how the products are advertised.
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking into whether a class action lawsuit can be filed in light of concerns that certain non-stick cookware sold under the KitchenAid and Anolon brand names contains toxic chemicals.
The attorneys have reason to believe that the cookware, despite being advertised as “PFOA free,” may contain PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), a toxic chemical that falls into a category of synthetic substances known as PFAS.
What Are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short, are synthetic chemicals that have been used since the 1940s in a wide range of industrial and consumer products. Because of their ability to resist grease, water, oil and stains, PFAS have been used to make everything from clothing, car seats and makeup to fast-food packaging and firefighting foams. You may recognize PTFE, a PFAS commonly used in non-stick cookware, by the brand name Teflon.
PFAS are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their ability to resist breaking down in the environment, and they can accumulate over time in fish, wildlife and humans. People can be exposed to PFAS by consuming contaminated water or food, using products made with the chemicals, and breathing air that contains PFAS. One study found that PFAS were present in the blood of 97 percent of Americans.
Health Risks of Toxic PFAS Chemicals
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS could cause the following health effects:
- Reproductive problems, including decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women
- Developmental problems in children
- Increased risk of prostate, kidney and testicular cancer
- Reduced ability to fight infections and reduced vaccine response
- Hormone interference
- Increased cholesterol and risk of obesity
PFOA, in particular, is one of the most widely used and well-studied PFAS. As part of a class action settlement in 2001, a panel of scientists was tasked with studying the health effects of PFOA on a “highly exposed” community near a DuPont facility in West Virginia whose water supply had allegedly been contaminated with the toxic chemical. Reports submitted by the panel concluded that there was a “probable link” between PFOA exposure and kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, hypercholesterolemia and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
It is suspected that Anolon and KitchenAid may have marketed some of their products as PFOA free in an attempt to persuade consumers looking for safer and “less toxic” products. Indeed, Anolon states on its website that its non-stick cookware is “completely safe” and “not harmful to your health.”
Attorneys are investigating, however, whether these statements are true and, if not, whether a class action could be filed on behalf of consumers.
How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?
A class action lawsuit, if filed and successful, could help consumers get back some of the money they spent on KitchenAid and Anolon cookware. Attorneys working with ClassAction.org believe buyers may not have bought the products – or wouldn’t have been willing to spend as much – if they’d known the cookware potentially contained toxic PFAS chemicals.
A class action lawsuit could also force the manufacturers to change how the products are advertised, or even stop using PFAS altogether.
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