A new study on the combustion behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane in weatherproof clothing has found that if clothing is disposed of in a typical incineration plant for household waste, no environmentally hazardous substances escape. For the purposes of the study, which was conducted for W. L. Gore & Associates, the scientists burned PTFE pellets supplied by Gore with natural gas, wood pellets and air in a pilot incinerator at 870°C and 1020°C, in order to simulate the conditions of a conventional municipal incinerator. The results of the study have been published in Chemosphere, an international peer-reviewed scientific journal. The study did not look at how PTFE behaves when burnt in an open fire, a situation in which varying conditions prevail.

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