A draft report on levels of chemicals used in firefighting and nonstick coatings indicates that levels in the water now deemed safe may be too high.
The more than 800-page report on Perfluoroalkyls (PFOAs-PFAs) from the Centers for Disease Control could have implications for DuPont and its spinoff Chemours. Both produce or have produced the chemicals.
DuPont issued the following statement through spokesman Dan Turner:
“Throughout the time it used PFOA, DuPont had a well-founded, good faith belief that low levels of PFOA exposure did not pose a health hazard. It conducted its operations in accordance with applicable regulations and based on the health and environmental information that was then available to the industry and regulators.
The numerous studies cited in the draft ATSDR report confirm that PFOA is one of the most well-studied chemicals of its type, and yet there still is no scientific or regulatory consensus that low level PFOA exposure causes health effects in humans. While the U.S. EPA continues to study the issue, it still has not concluded that PFOA should be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The numerical recommendations in the draft ATSDR report reflect this lack of consensus by relying heavily on animal studies and incorporating extremely conservative assumptions and wide margins of safety. DuPont remains confident that its PFOA operations were safe and did not harm its workers or people living in neighboring communities.”
The chemicals cited in the CDC report have been linked to thyroid problems, pregnancy difficulties, and certain cancers.
The Defense Department could also face greater liabilities if lower levels of PFAs are eventually required in water supplies.
Traces of the chemicals have turned up at Dover Air Force Base and New Castle Airport, which used the chemicals in firefighting exercises.
The CDC report has been at the center of a controversy over the Trump Administration delaying its release. Politico reported last month efforts from the administration and the Environmental Protection Agency came over concerns that the findings would be a public relations nightmare.
No release date had been scheduled for the report, Politico reported in May. However, environmental organizations and some members of Congress pushed for its release following Politico’s report.
Earlier DuPont and Chemours settled a series of lawsuits over levels of a chemical used in Teflon that came out of a plant in West Virginia and went into the Ohio River. In addition to DuPont and Chemours, 3M has paid out settlements over the use of chemicals used to produce Scotchgard, which is used to protect clothing and carpets.
Wilmington-based Chemours has been dealing with a controversy over a PFOA replacement chemical found in North Carolina waterways around one of its plants. The company recently announced plans to spend $100 million to reduce levels.
Earlier this year, the National Guard was called in to distribute drinking water in the Sussex County community of Blades after elevated levels of chemicals were found in the water supply. Carbon filtration has since been installed in the town’s water treatment system.
Chemicals used in dry cleaning and other areas led to the designation of an area of Hockessin as a Superfund site by the EPA. The designation was also added to a groundwater plume site south of Newark along Route 72.
Meanwhile, Chemours stock has been performing well as the company sees higher prices for its key chemicals as cost cutting efforts take hold.
At the time of its spin-off some speculated that DuPont, by offloading Chemours, was hoping to reduce potentially costly environmental liabilities.
Chemours’ stock price fell to about $3 a share, amid fears of a bankruptcy filing over its financial issues and potential environmental issues. Shares have since risen to as high as $58. Shares closed at $47 on Friday.
