(This story is summarized from an “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” by Nathaniel Rich from the New York Times”)
The legal fallout that ensued was quite dramatic. DuPont was fined by the EPA and gave a $70 million dollar award to affected communities. For a while, the case hung in a legal limbo as a panel of scientists performed experiments attempting to discern health effects caused by PFOA. Without conclusive links for PFOA, wrongful injury suits could not be filed.
After seven long years, in 2011, results came out. Among the six diseases linked, there were two types of cancer. For the past decade, DuPont has been settling wrongful injury cases in court.
Up next, we will have a discussion on corporate transparency and PFAS.
Side note
I will cover a discussion of this in future blog posts, but I felt I had to point something out here. Government agencies are about as much to blame as PFAS. They are the reason that chemical companies have been able to easily circumvent regulations; they are slow to respond and as a result cause great harm to people and the environment.