9 Ohio, W.Va. residents sue DuPont Co. over cancer
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/26/3712755/9-ohio-wva-residents-sue-dupont.html
9 Ohio, W.Va. residents sue DuPont Co. over cancer
By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press
Posted on Saturday, 10.26.13
CINCINNATI -- Nine Ohio and West Virginia residents who have cancer and other diseases have filed federal lawsuits this month against chemical giant DuPont, alleging the company knowingly contaminated drinking-water supplies with a chemical used by one of its plants.
The lawsuits, filed Oct. 8 and this week, are among about 50 such cases including one alleging wrongful death filed against DuPont since April, when a court-appointed science panel found probable links between exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as C8, and kidney cancer, testicular cancer and thyroid disease, among others.
DuPont, based in Wilmington, Del., uses C8 at its plant near Parkersburg, W.Va., on the Ohio line but plans to stop making and using the chemical by 2015. C8 is a key ingredient in Teflon, the coating used on cookware, clothing and other products.
The recent litigation is the latest in a yearslong battle between DuPont and residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley, in the heart of Appalachia along the Ohio River.