how chemical defense attorney blew the lid off pfoa and teflon dangers

Is DuPont liable for PFOA in Teflon?

Feb 02, 2016 · Reaction score. 4,671. Feb 1, 2016. #1. How Chemical Defense Attorney Blew the Lid Off PFOA and Teflon Dangers. By Dr. Mercola. If you’re still using non-stick cookware, you may want to seriously reconsider. Ditto for using stain- and water-repellant clothing, and opting for stain-resistant carpets and fabrics.

What is PFOA and why is it being banned?

Mar 08, 2022 · In February 2018, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit in Washington County against beleaguered DuPont Co. and its spin off Chemours Co. for allegedly dumping a cancer-causing chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon into the Ohio River near its plant in West Virginia. Contributing to the problems were two upriver landfills used by the …

Will Teflon be banned?

Jan 06, 2016 · The story began in 1951, when DuPont started purchasing PFOA (which the company refers to as C8) from 3M for use in the manufacturing of Teflon. 3M invented PFOA just four years earlier; it was ...

What should the EPA do about PFOA in drinking water?

Jul 20, 2005 · “DuPont has known for over 20 years that the Teflon product and the PFOA chemical it contains causes cancer in laboratory animals,” Kluger said. “I don’t have to prove that it causes cancer.

How much did rob Bilott make from DuPont settlement?

His litigation efforts yielded more than $671 million dollars in damages for approximately 3,500 people. DuPont also settled with the EPA, agreeing to pay a mere $16.5 million fine for failure to disclose their findings about C8, a toxin that is now estimated to be present in 98 percent of the world's population.Jul 12, 2021

What happened in the DuPont Teflon case?

In the first case, a jury ruled that DuPont was responsible for the kidney cancer of a plaintiff and ordered the company to pay $1.6 million in compensatory damages. In the second, a jury found that DuPont acted with malice and ordered the company to pay $5.6 million in punitive damages and compensatory damages.

Did DuPont lose the Teflon case?

DuPont, Chemours and Corteva Reach $4 Billion Settlement on 'Forever Chemicals' Lawsuits. WASHINGTON – Today DuPont, Chemours and Corteva announced a cost-sharing agreement worth $4 billion to settle lawsuits involving the historic use of the highly toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.Jan 22, 2021

What is Rob Bilott doing now?

Bilott serves on the board of directors for Less Cancer, the board of trustees for Green Umbrella, and served on the alumni board for New College of Florida from 2018-2021.

Does Rob Bilott still work for Taft?

It wouldn't surprise anyone that a lawyer dogged as Bilott is continuing the same work. He remains at the same law firm he began at, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, having become a partner back in 1998.Nov 22, 2019

How true is the movie Dark Waters?

Dark Waters mostly stays true to the real story "Dark Waters" is extremely accurate when compared to the true events, which makes it all the more upsetting. The script is based on the 2016 New York Times article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare," written by journalist Nathaniel Rich.May 31, 2021

Can you still sue DuPont for C8?

If you or a loved one has been a victim of DuPont C8 / PFOA exposure, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit. Call (888) 492-4303 or complete an online form today to discuss your legal options.Apr 4, 2019

What laws did DuPont break?

13, the United States, on behalf of the EPA, and the state of Texas alleged DuPont and PMNA violated hazardous waste, air and water environmental laws at the PMNA Sabine River chemical manufacturing facility in Orange, Texas. The former DuPont facility is now owned and operated by PMNA.Oct 14, 2021

Is C8 in my blood?

According to a 2007 study, C8 is in the blood of 99.7% of Americans. It's called a "forever chemical" because it never fully degrades. DuPont had been aware since at least the 1960s that C8 was toxic in animals and since the 1970s that there were high concentrations of it in the blood of its factory workers.Jan 7, 2020

What was Robert Bilott illness?

Bilott's health has taken a battering too. A mysterious neurological disorder struck him in 2008. He suffered tremors and a palsy on his right side which turned into violent shaking convulsions up and down the right side of his body.

What is the name of the firm that Robert Bilott worked for?

Rob Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years. Then he took on an environmental suit that would upend his entire career — and expose a brazen, decades-long history of chemical pollution.Jan 10, 2016

What law firm does Robert Bilott work for?

Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLPRobert Bilott is a partner at the law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio where he has practiced environmental law and litigation for more than twenty-eight years.

What is a teflon?

Teflon is simply a brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is a type of plastic that is a fluoropolymer. Polymers are common synthetic fibers, such as polyester and nylon.

What is the name of the company that dumping Teflon into the Ohio River?

In February 2018, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit in Washington County against beleaguered DuPont Co. and its spin off Chemours Co. for allegedly dumping a cancer-causing chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon into the Ohio River near its plant in West Virginia. Contributing to the problems were two upriver landfills used by ...

Why did Plevin and Gallucci sue?

Why Plevin & Gallucci? In February 2018, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit in Washington County against beleaguered DuPont Co. and its spin off Chemours Co. for allegedly dumping a cancer-causing chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon into the Ohio River near its plant in West Virginia.

What temperature does PTFE melt?

It has a high melting point of 327 ºC. Food is cooked at lower temperatures than that. For example, a steak would be fried at around 280 ºC (536 ºF). So with normal use, PTFE is fine, since it does not start to degrade until temperatures hit 350 ºC (662 ºF).

How much did Dupont pay for dumping?

This is not the first time DuPont has faced lawsuits for alleged illegal dumping of this toxic chemical. In February 2017, the company agreed to pay $671 million to settle approximately 3,550 personal injury claims filed in federal court.

Where is PFOA found in Ohio?

The Ohio Attorney General lawsuit cites a 2017 study that indicates PFOA concentrations downstream from the DuPont plant in West Virginia were found as far away as 413 miles. This resulted in higher-than-normal levels of PFOA in residents’ bloodstreams, and their exposure was mainly through drinking water.

How long can you file a lawsuit for PFOA in Ohio?

You should not wait, however. The normal statute of limitations for personal injury in Ohio is two years from the date you know of the injury, though there are some exceptions. After that window closes, you lose your rights.

What did Dupont discover about PFOA?

By the ’90s, Bilott discovered, DuPont understood that PFOA caused cancerous testicular, pancreatic and liver tumors in lab animals. One laboratory study suggested possible DNA damage from PFOA exposure, and a study of workers linked exposure with prostate cancer.

What was the PFOA limit in 1991?

In 1991, DuPont scientists determined an internal safety limit for PFOA concentration in drinking water: one part per billion. The same year, DuPont found that water in one local district contained PFOA levels at three times that figure. Despite internal debate, it declined to make the information public.

What was the Superfund?

Superfund was a lucrative development for firms like Taft, creating an entire subfield within environmental law, one that required a deep understanding of the new regulations in order to guide negotiations among municipal agencies and numerous private parties. Terp’s team at Taft was a leader in the field.

Is PFOA safe to drink?

No one knows for certain how much PFOA is safe to drink. Rob Bilott’s lawsuit against DuPont in West Virginia included anyone whose drinking water had levels above 0.05 parts per billion. But last June, based on a comprehensive review of previous health studies, Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health and Richard Clapp of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell named an ‘‘approximate’’ safe level of 0.001 p.p.b. Soon thereafter, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group analyzed two years of E.P.A. survey data to find that this threshold had been exceeded — in some cases by factors of 100 or more — in 94 water systems across 27 states. Below, the estimated number of people in each state whose drinking water is affected.

Is Rob Bilott understated?

Bilott is given to understatement. (‘‘To say that Rob Bilott is understated,’’ his colleague Edison Hill says, ‘‘is an understatement.’’) The story that Bilott began to see, cross-legged on his office floor, was astounding in its breadth, specificity and sheer brazenness. ‘‘I was shocked,’’ he said.

Who sold Dupont land?

Jim Tennant and his wife, Della, sold DuPont a 66-acre tract of land that became part of the Dry Run Landfill. Credit... Bryan Schutmaat for The New York Times. ‘‘Rob’s letter lifted the curtain on a whole new theater,’’ says Harry Deitzler, a plaintiff’s lawyer in West Virginia who works with Bilott.

Who was Dupont's worst nightmare?

The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare. Rob Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years. Then he took on an environmental suit that would upend his entire career — and expose a brazen, decades-long history of chemical pollution.

How long does it take to eliminate PFOA?

It would eliminate production of the chemical by 2015 at the latest. That's good, because it takes the body 10 years to eliminate PFOA from the body -- if there's no new exposure. And since the chemical is all over the earth, we're always getting new exposures.

What is PFOA in the environment?

27, 2006 - Chemical industry leaders have agreed to an EPA plan to phase out a chemical used to make Teflon, microwave popcorn bags, waterproof clothing, and many other products. The chemical, PFOA (also known as C8), is a man-made chemical that persists in the environment.

Can PFOA cause cancer?

But animal studies strongly suggest that when enough PFOA builds up in the body, it can cause cancer , liver damage, growth defects, immune-system damage, and death.

Is there PFOA in pots and pans?

Robert Rickard, PhD, DuPont's chief toxicologist, stresses this point. "With pots and pans, there is no exposure to PFOA," he told WebMD last year. "That is based on studies we have conducted, and also on studies in Denmark and in China. There is absolutely not a consumer issue with this.".

Who makes PFOS?

Teflon maker DuPont already has signed on to the plan. A chemical very similar to PFOA, called PFOS, was used by 3M Corp. to make Scotchgard and other products. In May 2000, after negotiations with EPA, 3M phased out PFOS use.

Does PFOA burn off?

PFOA is used to make nonstick pans. But nearly all of it burns off during manufacture. "When making gravy, a cook might use vodka to deglaze a pan," Kropp says. "But there's no alcohol in the gravy -- all the alcohol burns off. That is almost how nonstick pans are made.

What are the effects of PFAS on children?

Numerous studies link PFAS exposure with cancer, thyroid problems and developmental issues in children. The chemicals have been found in high levels in groundwater near industrial facilities and near military installations and airports that have used PFAS-based firefighting foam.

Who is the California representative who accused the companies of obscuring and suppressing evidence in what he called a

The California representative Harley Rouda , who chairs the subcommittee, accused the companies of obscuring and suppressing evidence in what he called a “seismic event” that “shakes the foundation of democratic capitalism” by “violating the trust of the American people”.

When did PFAS start to build up in mice?

As far back as 1950, a 3M study of mice showed PFAS building up in the animals’ blood. In 1961, a DuPont toxicologist warned the chemicals enlarge rat and rabbit livers. In 1963, a 3M technical manual deemed PFAS toxic.

Who is the senior vice president of corporate affairs for 3M?

The 3M Company, the Chemours Company and DuPont appeared before lawmakers over PFAS. Why you need to know about PFAS. Denise Rutherford, senior vice-president of corporate affairs for 3M, argued the chemicals pose no human health threats at current levels and have no victims, conflicting with a large body of research and 3M’s own internal documents.

Is Chemours challenging Dupont?

Chemours is now challenging DuPont in court as the company denies liability over the chemicals. The Michigan representative Dan Kildee called the companies’ defenses “ridiculous”, and said they have “made millions and billions of dollars by selling these chemicals”, but don’t want to take responsibility.

What is PFOA in coatings?

PFOA is the abbreviated term for perfluorooctanoic acid, which is also referred to as C8 . It is a synthetic chemical compound that is used together with PTFE, which is short for polytetrafluoroethylene, to produce certain fluoropolymer- and telomer-based consumer products, such as nonstick pan coatings like Teflon.

How does PFOA affect the body?

The chemical compound can be absorbed into the body through inhalation, skin contact, eye contact, and ingestion. PFOA, when inhaled, can cause cough and sore throat. When it comes in contact with the skin, it can cause redness and pain. Similarly, when it comes in contact with the eyes, it can cause redness and pain.

What is PFOA chemical?

PFOA — toxicity, side effects, diseases and environmental impacts. PFOA is the abbreviated term for perfluorooctanoic acid, which is also referred to as C8. It is a synthetic chemical compound that is used together with PTFE, which is short for polytetrafluoroethylene, to produce certain fluoropolymer- and telomer-based consumer products, ...

What is the chemical formula for PFOA?

The chemical can be physically described as a white to off-white powder. PFOA has the molecular formula of C 8 HF 15 O 2.

Where can I find PFOA?

PFOA can be found in a variety of products, such as stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothing, paper plates, paper and cardboard packaging, ski wax, and fire-fighting foams.

Can PFOA be absorbed into the body?

Furthermore, it can be found in even higher levels in people who are exposed to PFOA in the workplace. The chemical compound can be absorbed into the body through inhalation, skin contact, eye contact, and ingestion.

Does PFOA cause diarrhea?

It makes products water- or oil-resistant. PFOA exposure can cause cough, sore throat, redness and pain in the eyes or skin, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. PFOA may increase the risk of testicular cancer. PFOA has been linked to different types of cancers, including kidney, thyroid, prostate, and ovarian cancers.