latest news: Perfluorinated chemicals
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Wood residents oppose DuPont permits
PARKERSBURG — Wood County residents turned out Monday night to object to the latest permits for the landfill where DuPont Co. dumped wastes containing the toxic chemical C8. Under the permits, the state Department of Environmental Protection does not limit the amount of C8 that DuPont can discharge from the landfill into tributaries of the […]
United States, West Virginia Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota. Part 1: The science
3M’s announcement in 2000 that it was phasing out its popular Scotchgard product led to a major investigation by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. The anti-stain spray contained chemicals toxic to lab animals. The chemicals had also turned up in the blood of 3M workers, though the company said its employees were not harmed. On […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota: Part 3: The politics
St. Paul, Minn. — Republican Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty named Sheryl Corrigan to be commmissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in 2002. The governor said he was looking for an environmental watchdog with a business perspective. Corrigan says a 3M manager recommended her for the job. “My understanding is a former boss of mine forwarded […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota: Part 4: The company
St. Paul, Minn. — Much of what the EPA knows about these chemicals comes from the manufacturers. 3M’s studies tend to focus on male plant workers rather than pregnant women, the children of workers or the people who live near the plants. In 1981, DuPont found evidence of birth defects in babies born to female […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota: Part 2: The neighbors
St. Paul, Minn. — Before there was an MPCA or even a Superfund cleanup program, people who lived near 3M’s Cottage Grove plant and its nearby Woodbury landfill had questions. Susan Berndt’s family has lived in the area since before the Civil War. In the 1960s, neighbors and businesses dumped their trash in the woods […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota: Part 5: The future
St. Paul, Minn. — DuPont continues to produce PFOA at its plant in West Virginia. In Decatur, Alabama, Dyneon, a subsidiary of 3M, reported to the EPA it continues to use small amounts of PFOA in certain products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now added PFOS and PFOA to its chemical surveillance […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota: PFOA-PFOS time line up to 2005
1953 3M scientist Patsy Sherman’s accident leads to creation of Scotchgard. She spills a mixture on a lab assistant’s tennis shoe. The stain turns out to be impervious to water, soap and scrubbing. 1956 3M introduces Scotchgard line of fabric protectors. 1978 3M becomes aware perfluorinated chemicals are present in the blood of its plant […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Minnesota: 3M faces lawsuit over chemical
Two neighbors of a 3M Co. plant in Cottage Grove have sued the company, alleging that they and their properties have been harmed by a chemical once made there. The chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is used to make Teflon and durable coatings for fabrics and industrial products. It and another stain-resistant chemical once made by […]
Perfluorinated chemicals -
Timeline: Fluorochemicals
Fluorochemicals have been used by 3M, DuPont and other companies to create innovative products for decades. The chemicals now are known to persist in the environment. 1946: DuPont sells the first Teflon products, which are made with fluorochemicals. 1956: 3M begins selling Scotchgard Protector, which contained a fluorochemical that helped it repel stains. 1970: The […]
United States, Minnesota Perfluorinated chemicals -
DuPont’s C8 contamination widespread, EPA says
In June 1984, officials from DuPont Co. put together a list of sampling results from drinking water near the company’s Parkersburg chemical plant. The list, called “Update on C8 in water samples,” was marked “personal and confidential.” A March sample from Washington showed 1.2 parts per billion. A June sample from Lubeck found 1.5 parts […]
United States, West Virginia Perfluorinated chemicals