DuPont have reached a settlement in their PFOA lawsuit brought in 2001 by residents in the vicinity of the company’s Washington Works plant in West Virginia.
The settlement, which is subject to the court’s final approval, totals approximately $108 million and defines a research-based process to resolve the debate on PFOA exposure. It includes provision of C-8 water treatment facilities and creation of an independent expert panel to conduct a study in the community to evaluate whether or not there is a link between C-8 exposure and any human disease, including birth defects.
The settlement in no way implies any admission of liability on DuPont’s part. John W Moriarty, global business manager states: ‘We remain convinced that over 50 years of experience and extensive scientific studies support our position that our products are safe and that our operations are safe for the community.’ He continues: ‘PFOA is not added or used in any of our telomer-based products. They may, however, be found as unintended byproducts at trace levels. DuPont have recently developed process technology to essentially eliminate these trace levels of PFOA, and impurities that may form PFOA from our telomer-based products. It is our intent to commercialise this technology by 2006.’
Further details can be found on [http://www.dupont.com]
