When DuPont fell short of letting the public in on the fact that there was widespread exposures to an impending toxic chemical used to make nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpet, hamburger wrappers and the lining of microwaveable popcorn bags—it cost them $16.5 million in fines and compensatory payouts.
Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that the settlement generated the biggest administrative, non-court civil penalty in agency history, and would act as a warning to industries that ignore federal toxic substance control laws.
“This settlement sends a strong message that companies are responsible for promptly informing EPA about risk information associated with their chemicals,” said Granta Y. Nakayama, assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
While the settlement was instigated by the exposure of problems at DuPont’s Teflon plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the terms entail the spending of $5 million studying how a broader variety of related chemicals and consumer products perform and break down in the environment.
A number of the chemicals included in the research deal are controlled at DuPont’s Chamber Works plant in Deepwater, New Jersey, which is located at the foot of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. One chemical, in particular, is called C-8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA—the chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon.
The EWG (Environmental Working Group) thought the penalty emphasized the federal government’s weak hand in dealing with industrial polluters. “What’s the appropriate fine for a $25 billion company that for decades hid vital health information about a toxic chemical that now contaminates every man, woman and child in the United States?” Group President Ken Cook said in a statement. “We’re pretty sure it’s not $16 million, even if that is a record amount under a federal law that everyone acknowledges is extremely weak.”
Well, I don’t know about you, but I agree with Ken Cook. A $16.5 million fine for a company that is worth $25 billion equals a company that was not taught a big enough lesson!