Get the facts
The Devil We Know is the story of how one synthetic chemical, used to make Teflon products, contaminated a West Virginia community. But new research hints at a much broader problem: nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to non-stick chemicals in food, drinking water, and consumer products. With very little oversight on the chemical industry in this country, we invite you to learn more about the problem and how you can protect yourself and your family.
There are more than 80,000 chemicals approved for use in the U.S. Very few of them have been adequately tested for safety.
American babies are born pre-polluted with more than 200 chemicals in their blood, 180 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals.
Diseases caused by water, air, and soil pollution are responsible for 9 million premature deaths annually – that’s 16% of all global deaths!
Exposures to contaminated water, air, and soil kill more people than smoking, hunger, natural disasters, war, AIDs or malaria.
A panel convened by President Obama to study the uptick in cancer rates found the role of environmental contaminants to be "grossly underestimated."
PFOA, a toxic chemical that has been used to make Teflon, is now in the blood of 99% of Americans.
As many as 110 million Americans may be drinking water contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals that are linked to cancer and other health problems.
Toxic PFAS chemicals are found in many consumer products: non-stick cookware, food packaging, waterproof clothing, stain-resistant carpeting, dental floss, etc.
Studies have found it takes 2-5 minutes on a stovetop to exceed temperatures at which Teflon cookware overheats and emits toxic particles and gases.
As early as 1961, DuPont knew its Teflon chemical PFOA was causing damage to lab animals. Yet, the company continued to use the chemical until 2013.
More Information
The Environmental Working Group
Tips for Avoiding PFCS
Download the Tipsheet
The Environmental Working Group
Are Teflon Chemicals in Your Drinking Water?
Read the Article
Dupont Internal Documents
The Intercept
Sharon Lerner’s “Teflon Toxin” series
Read the Article
The New York Times
Dupont's Worst Nightmare
Read the Article
Our Partners
Supported By
This film was supported by the Sundance Institute Creative Distribution Fellowship and the Sundance Institute Catalyst Forum.
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