DuPont, along with Chemours and Corteva, will pay Ohio $110 million to settle a lawsuit accusing them of dumping "forever" chemicals into the Ohio River over seven decades. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine highlighted DuPont's awareness of the dangers posed to the public by releasing toxic perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly known as PFOA or C8 from its Washington Works plant. PFOA, one of a group of synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals used in the production of numerous consumer and industrial products, has been linked to serious health issues
“DuPont ignored the fact that the chemicals they were releasing were toxic, and this settlement ensures that they are held responsible for the pollution they knowingly caused to the environment,” DeWine said in a Nov. 29 news release.
The settlement arises from a 2018 lawsuit, with Chemours paying half and DuPont and Corteva contributing $39 million and $16 million, respectively. The chemicals, used in Teflon production from the 1950s to 2013, resist environmental breakdown.
The settlement, delivered in a lump sum within 10 days, allocates 80% for pollution mitigation, 16% for firefighting foam damage and the remainder for natural resource damages, particularly benefitting southeast Ohio. Ohio retains the authority to set and enforce strict drinking water standards. This settlement follows thousands of lawsuits against DuPont over the harmful chemicals.