News Coverage
DuPont to pay $107.6 m as settlement in pollution case
Published March 1, 2005
A judge has approved a $107.6 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Dupont Co in which residents alleged that a chemical used in making the nonstick substance teflon contaminated their water supplies.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2001 on behalf of residents living near the Washington works plant South of parkersburg, who said their drinking supplies were contaminated by perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA or C8.
Under the agreement, blood tests will be conducted on residents with wells and current and former customers of six area water districts to determine who is eligible to receive damages.
Dupont has denied any wrongdoing but said in September that it decided to settle the case because of the time and expense of litigation. The company did not immediately comment on the settlement yesterday.
The agreement calls for Dupont, based in Wilmington, Delware, to provide the six local water utilities with new treatment equipment to reduce PFOA in water supplies at an estimated cost of $10 million.
The company must also fund a $5 millionin dependent study to determine if PFOA makes people sick and pay $22.6 million in legal fees and expenses for residents who sued.
Ultimately, Dupont could be forced to spend another $235 million on a programme to monitor the health of residents who were exposed to the chemical, according to the terms of the settlement.