Consumers v DuPont Co.
DuPont's Teflon subject of $5 billion lawsuit
On July 20, 2005 multiple class actions were filed by attorneys in several states, against DuPont Co., charging the chemicals giant hid the potential health hazards of its Teflon non-stick cookware coatings.
The lawsuits filed in federal courts against E.I. DuPont de Nemours Co., call for DuPont to pay damages to class members, create a fund for medical monitoring of consumers who purchased products containing Teflon, and put warning labels on cookware with Teflon. The plaintiffs specifically want DuPont to spend $5 billion to replace the cookware, impose a warning label and create two funds to pay for medical monitoring and scientific research.
"The class of potential plaintiffs could well contain almost every American that has purchased a pot or pan coated with DuPont's non-stick coating," said a plaintiff's lawyer who filed the case.
In May, DuPont said it received a subpoena from the U.S. Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section to turn over documents about perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used to make Teflon coatings.
The subpoena came a month after DuPont agreed to settle allegations by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency that the company had failed disclose health data about PFOA for two decades.
In an e-mail statement, DuPont said it would vigorously defend itself against the allegations in the lawsuit.
