Latest news with #Teflon
DW
5 days ago
- Health
- DW
Who is responsible for PFAS contamination? – DW – 07/15/2025
Hazardous "forever chemicals" contaminate drinking water, soil and food worldwide. Who is responsible for their contamination? The sleepy small town of Trissino lies at the foot of the Italian Alps, surrounded by lush fields, green hills and small industrial plants on its outskirts. Though there is nothing to suggest that gigantic quantities of drinking water and large parts of the soil in the entire region have been contaminated with extremely toxic chemicalsfrom a local chemical facility, that is what a court in Rome recently a case that opened in 2021, 11 defendants were sentenced to years in prison. They had worked for the Japanese Mitsubishi Group and Chemical Investors from Luxembourg, among others. According to estimates by non-governmental organizations, the contamination could affect around 350,000 people in the northern Italian region of Veneto. Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds, PFAS for short, are extremely persistent chemicals that cannot be broken down. Once they enter the environment, they remain there "forever." Scientists have established a link between PFAS and liver and kidney damage, increased cholesterol levels, diseases of the lymph nodes and reduced fertility in men and women. According to the German Federal Environment Agency, it also leads to low birth weights in babies, can reduce the effectiveness of vaccinations and cause cancer in high concentrations. The chemicals are considered a global problem and can be detected almost everywhere. In 2018, scientists at Harvard University found that 98% of US citizens have PFAS in their blood. Studies on breast milk in countries such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines detected the substances in almost all samples. In Germany, too, every child has forever chemicals in their bodies. A fifth of them exceed critical levels. PFAS were discovered in 1938 by the American chemical giant DuPont. Due to their special properties of protecting metal from corrosion even at high temperatures, the chemicals were first used in the development of the atomic bomb. The substance later found its way into households worldwide under the brand name "Teflon" in the form of coated pans. This marked the beginning of the commercial rise of the chemicals, which proved to be useful for many products. With their unique resistance to heat, water and dirt, they are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. They can be found in everything from waterproof outdoor clothing, makeup and stain-resistant carpets to medical devices, semiconductors and wind turbines. The chemicals, which are mainly ingested through drinking water and food, accumulate in the body over time. In addition to breast milk and blood, they can also be detected in hair. In 1998, the non-stick coating of Teflon was clearly scratched when a hundred cows belonging to a cattle farmer suddenly died near a production facility in the US city of Parkersburg in West Virginia. It was later revealed that thousands of people in the region were contaminated by a leaking dump and wastewater from the DuPont factory that contained PFAS. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Documents show that DuPont, unlike government authorities, had known about the danger for decades but continued to discharge the substance into the environment. Studies suggest that high levels of PFOA (a specific PFAS substance) in the region are linked to cases of kidney and testicular cancer. In 2017, DuPont and the now-spun-off company Chemours agreed to pay $671 million (€574 million) in compensation to 3,550 people affected. PFAS are still being released into the environment. The US environmental organization EWG has calculated that almost 10,000 locations across America are contaminated with the substances. This is based on measurements by the US Environmental Protection Agency, among others. It is estimated that around 160 million people could be affected nationwide. In Europe, 23,000 sites are known to be contaminated with PFAS. According to the European Environment Agency, 2,300 of these are so heavily contaminated that they pose a health risk. In Alsace, France, the authorities are currently warning people not to drink tap water after checks revealed elevated levels of 20 forever chemicals. And in Dalton in the US state of Georgia, a lawsuit is currently being filed against a carpet manufacturer, Chemours and the chemical company 3M. Residents there also fear they have fallen ill due to PFAS contamination. Legally binding limits for six PFAS chemicals in drinking water were adopted for the first time under former US President Joe Biden. The subsequent Donald Trump administration has reversed four of them. In 2023, the 3M Group agreed to pay around $10 billion to local water suppliers to settle lawsuits over PFAS pollution and those that could arise. 3M is also being sued for contamination in the Netherlands, another country where it operates. The European Union recently passed legislation to reduce these substances' use. In the long term, the member states are seeking to completely abolish PFAS. Exceptions are to be made for products whose use of PFAS is "essential for society". This could include, for example, medical material such as stents for opening and closing blood vessels or artificial play this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 audio
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
What are 'forever chemicals' and why do they matter?
Representative AI image The sleepy small town of Trissino lies at the foot of the Italian Alps, surrounded by lush fields, green hills and small industrial plants on its outskirts. Though there is nothing to suggest that gigantic quantities of drinking water and large parts of the soil in the entire region have been contaminated with extremely toxic chemicals from a local chemical facility, that is what a court in Rome recently concluded. In a case that opened in 2021, 11 defendants were sentenced to years in prison. They had worked for the Japanese Mitsubishi Group and Chemical Investors from Luxembourg, among others. According to estimates by non-governmental organizations, the contamination could affect around 350,000 people in the northern Italian region of Veneto. What are forever chemicals ? Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds, PFAS for short, are extremely persistent chemicals that cannot be broken down. Once they enter the environment, they remain there "forever." Scientists have established a link between PFAS and liver and kidney damage, increased cholesterol levels, diseases of the lymph nodes and reduced fertility in men and women. According to the German Federal Environment Agency, it also leads to low birth weights in babies, can reduce the effectiveness of vaccinations and cause cancer in high concentrations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The chemicals are considered a global problem and can be detected almost everywhere. In 2018, scientists at Harvard University found that 98% of US citizens have PFAS in their blood. Studies on breast milk in countries such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines detected the substances in almost all samples. In Germany, too, every child has forever chemicals in their bodies. A fifth of them exceed critical levels. From the atom bomb to the plate PFAS were discovered in 1938 by the American chemical giant DuPont. Due to their special properties of protecting metal from corrosion even at high temperatures, the chemicals were first used in the development of the atomic substance later found its way into households worldwide under the brand name "Teflon" in the form of coated pans. This marked the beginning of the commercial rise of the chemicals, which proved to be useful for many products. With their unique resistance to heat, water and dirt, they are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. They can be found in everything from waterproof outdoor clothing, makeup and stain-resistant carpets to medical devices, semiconductors and wind turbines. The chemicals, which are mainly ingested through drinking water and food, accumulate in the body over time. In addition to breast milk and blood, they can also be detected in hair. Decades of concealing the danger In 1998, the non-stick coating of Teflon was clearly scratched when a hundred cows belonging to a cattle farmer suddenly died near a production facility in the US city of Parkersburg in West Virginia. It was later revealed that thousands of people in the region were contaminated by a leaking dump and wastewater from the DuPont factory that contained show that DuPont, unlike government authorities, had known about the danger for decades but continued to discharge the substance into the environment. Studies suggest that high levels of PFOA (a specific PFAS substance) in the region are linked to cases of kidney and testicular cancer. In 2017, DuPont and the now-spun-off company Chemours agreed to pay $671 million (€574 million) in compensation to 3,550 people affected. Europe plans a phase-out PFAS are still being released into the environment. The US environmental organization EWG has calculated that almost 10,000 locations across America are contaminated with the substances. This is based on measurements by the US Environmental Protection Agency, among others. It is estimated that around 160 million people could be affected nationwide. In Europe, 23,000 sites are known to be contaminated with PFAS. According to the European Environment Agency, 2,300 of these are so heavily contaminated that they pose a health risk. In Alsace, France, the authorities are currently warning people not to drink tap water after checks revealed elevated levels of 20 forever chemicals.
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Chemical maker DuPont to shell out $27M for toxic contamination of NY village's water supply
Chemical maker DuPont has agreed to a $27 million settlement to resolve a nearly decade-long lawsuit over the contamination of an upstate New York village's water supply. The deal was announced Wednesday by lawyers representing residents of Hoosick Falls, located northwest of Albany, just as the case was headed to trial in federal court this week. The settlement brings the total recovered in the class action suit brought in 2016 to more than $90 million, lawyers for Rochester-based firm Faraci Lange said. The settlement brings the total recovered in the class action suit brought in 2016 to more than $90 million. Ricochet64 – Three other companies — Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell International and 3M —settled for a total of more than $65 million in 2021. DuPont was the last remaining defendant. 'We are gratified to have reached what we believe will be the final resolution of this case that will provide significant added benefit to the residents of Hoosick Falls and the Town of Hoosick,' said Stephen Schwarz. DuPont declined to comment Friday, but the Delaware-based company noted that the case relates to E.I. DuPont de Nemours, which operated its performance chemicals business until it was spun out in 2015. The DuPont settlement, which must still be approved by a federal judge, also includes another $6 million in funding for an existing medical monitoring program for exposed residents, according to attorneys. A general exterior view of the logo sign on the Honeywell International Inc office building on January 15, 2024 in Basildon, United Kingdom. Getty Images In their class action suit, Hoosick Falls residents claimed that a local Teflon fabric coating facility operated by Saint-Gobain and Honeywell caused local drinking water to become contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. DuPont, which made Teflon materials used at the facility, and 3M, which made the PFOA used by DuPont in its products, were added as defendants to the lawsuit in 2018. PFOA was once widely used in certain industrial processes but is now considered a harmful 'forever chemical' because it can persist in the environment for decades without decomposing. It has been linked to a number of serious illnesses including kidney and testicular cancer and has recently been classified as a carcinogen.
11-07-2025
- Health
DuPont agrees to $27M settlement in water lawsuit
HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. -- Chemical maker DuPont has agreed to a $27 million settlement to resolve a nearly decade-long lawsuit over the contamination of an upstate New York village's water supply. The deal was announced Wednesday by lawyers representing residents of Hoosick Falls, located northwest of Albany, just as the case was headed to trial in federal court this week. The settlement brings the total recovered in the class action suit brought in 2016 to more than $90 million, lawyers for Rochester-based firm Faraci Lange said. Three other companies — Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell International and 3M —settled for a total of more than $65 million in 2021. DuPont was the last remaining defendant. 'We are gratified to have reached what we believe will be the final resolution of this case that will provide significant added benefit to the residents of Hoosick Falls and the Town of Hoosick,' said Stephen Schwarz. A spokesperson for Delaware-based DuPont didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday. The DuPont settlement, which must still be approved by a federal judge, also includes another $6 million in funding for an existing medical monitoring program for exposed residents, according to attorneys. In their class action suit, Hoosick Falls residents claimed that a local Teflon fabric coating facility operated by Saint-Gobain and Honeywell caused local drinking water to become contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. DuPont, which made Teflon materials used at the facility, and 3M, which made the PFOA used by DuPont in its products, were added as defendants to the lawsuit in 2018. PFOA was once widely used in certain industrial processes but is now considered a harmful 'forever chemical' because it can persist in the environment for decades without decomposing. It has been linked to a number of serious illnesses including kidney and testicular cancer and has recently been classified as a carcinogen.
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Chemical maker DuPont agrees to $27M settlement in polluted water lawsuit in upstate New York
HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Chemical maker DuPont has agreed to a $27 million settlement to resolve a nearly decade-long lawsuit over the contamination of an upstate New York village's water supply. The deal was announced Wednesday by lawyers representing residents of Hoosick Falls, located northwest of Albany, just as the case was headed to trial in federal court this week. The settlement brings the total recovered in the class action suit brought in 2016 to more than $90 million, lawyers for Rochester-based firm Faraci Lange said. Three other companies — Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell International and 3M —settled for a total of more than $65 million in 2021. DuPont was the last remaining defendant. 'We are gratified to have reached what we believe will be the final resolution of this case that will provide significant added benefit to the residents of Hoosick Falls and the Town of Hoosick,' said Stephen Schwarz. A spokesperson for Delaware-based DuPont didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday. The DuPont settlement, which must still be approved by a federal judge, also includes another $6 million in funding for an existing medical monitoring program for exposed residents, according to attorneys. In their class action suit, Hoosick Falls residents claimed that a local Teflon fabric coating facility operated by Saint-Gobain and Honeywell caused local drinking water to become contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. DuPont, which made Teflon materials used at the facility, and 3M, which made the PFOA used by DuPont in its products, were added as defendants to the lawsuit in 2018. PFOA was once widely used in certain industrial processes but is now considered a harmful 'forever chemical' because it can persist in the environment for decades without decomposing. It has been linked to a number of serious illnesses including kidney and testicular cancer and has recently been classified as a carcinogen.
