A group of man-made
chemicals used in some ski waxes, and
found in nearly every American's
bloodstream, has caused some companies
to take a closer look at what goes on
the bottom of skis and snowboards.
Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are found in a
wide range of household products from
Teflon to GORE-TEX, as well as
fluorinated ski wax.
The wax is known for its high
performance on the slopes, but sliding
down a mountain on fluorinated wax could
have larger ramifications.
Two studies from the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention published
in 2007 found PFCs in the bloodstream of
98 percent of the U.S. population.
But how they got there is a mystery.
"How people can be exposed to PFCs is
yet unclear," according to a CDC report
in August. "Some PFCs persist in the
environment, and people might be exposed
by consuming PFC-contaminated water or
food or by using commercial products
that contain PFCs."
Health effects of PFCs also remain
uncertain, according to the report,
which encourages further research on the
subject.
Because of the
widespread use of PFCs, the total amount
of the chemicals in the environment from
fluorinated ski wax is likely very
small. But the wax's connection to the
Sierra snowpack - relied upon by
millions of Californians and Nevadans
for water - makes the substance unique.
Relatively small amounts of PFC from ski
wax and the chemicals' "water-hating"
nature make them unlikely to persist in
the water supply, according to Bruce
Warden, an environmental scientist with
the Lahontan Regional Water Quality
Control Board.
"There could conceivably be small
particles in the environment," Warden
said. "The amounts I don't think would
be very large."
PFCs have not been
found during groundwater monitoring
conducted by the agency.
Fluorinated wax would be more likely to
stick to soil or plants as the snow
melts and water runs downstream, Warden
said.
Still, concerns over the effect of the
chemical components of ski waxes on
groundwater have caused a few companies
to produce wax without the chemicals
popular throughout the industry,
including Enviro Mountain Sports Inc.,
based in Albuquerque, N.M.
The company estimates there is a
potential for 2.8 million pounds of
chemicals from ski and snowboard wax to
be deposited in mountain ecosystems
during the 2007-08 winter season.
The company touts
its all-natural wax as a better for the
environment, while keeping skiers and
snowboarders gliding smoothly.
"It has been developed by a group of
outstanding biochemists, tested and
retested by countless skiers and
snowboarders across the country, and has
slickness coefficients that match or
exceed the toxic chemical waxes on the
market today," the company's chief
executive officer, Greg Barker, said in
a statement.
Much of the most recent debate
surrounding PFCs in drinking water has
surrounded a Minnesota landfill where
legally disposed PFCs from the 3M
corporation leaked into groundwater.
Although the company claims numerous
studies have shown no ill health effects
from the level of PFCs in the
environment, more than 1,000 residents
have claimed in a pending lawsuit that
the chemicals are the cause of various
ailments, including cancer, according to
an article in the St. Croix Valley-based
Stillwater Gazette.
|
