A short history of El Du Pont De Nemours and Company, AFFF manufacturing, and lawsuits
In 1961, internal Du Pont de Nemours scientists found that PFAS exposure could increase liver size in rats and rabbits. Two of seven employees in the company's Teflon division gave birth to children with eye defects. Several years later, Du Pont de Nemours tested public water sources for PFOA near its West Virginia plant. The chemical was found within multiple communities in the state and in Ohio. It is now known that the manufacturer knew of the dangers of PFOA but did not disclose the dangers to the EPA, the employees, or the public who was at risk of exposure.
In 1999, attorney Robert Bilott filed the first lawsuit against Du Pont de Nemours for contaminating water with PFOA on behalf of Wilbur Tennant, a farmer who noticed health issues in his cattle that might have occurred due to having drunk water that traveled downstream from the unlined landfill. As of today, over 15,000 claims have been filed nationwide against Du Pont de Nemours, most of which concern PFAS.
The latest news concerning Du Pont de Nemours is from February 2024, when U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel approved a $1.18 billion settlement with the company regarding PFAS contamination in the nation's public water systems. The settlement was reached after five years of complex and intense litigation, including 30 million pages of discovery documents and over 200 depositions.
El Du Pont De Nemours and Company employees exposed to asbestos
One of the most notorious facilities of DuPont where asbestos was used in tremendous amounts is located in Tonawanda, New York. Nonetheless, asbestos was present in every facility of the company during the last century. While the executives of the company had been aware of the awful health effects of asbestos exposure ever since 1920, they chose to continue using the hazardous mineral for their own financial gain, as asbestos was very cheap at the time. The occupations at the highest risk of developing a serious disease as a result of asbestos exposure through this company are:
In the regrettable event that you developed a disease as a result of workplace asbestos exposure, we strongly encourage you to contact our law firm, as our attorneys have been pursuing toxic exposure cases since 1990. After you provide your lawyer with your employment and medical records, documents that will stand as evidence to support your case, they will promptly file a personal injury claim for asbestos exposure with DuPont. Eventually, you will receive the maximum compensation available for your injury from your former employer.
It is worthy of note that veterans may also have been exposed to asbestos by using the products of this company while they were serving in the military.