DuPont concerns spur public meeting

There are more than 7 million PFAS and over 21 million fluorinated compounds listed in PubChem (2023).
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DuPont concerns spur public meeting

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DuPont concerns spur public meeting

NJcom. - August 06, 2006

By CHRISTOPHER WEIR


CARNEYS POINT TWP. -- A panel of union representatives, environmentalists and steelworkers held a public meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue of a manufactured chemical that has turned up in area water supplies.

The group, known as the "DuPont Accountability Project," held the meeting to encourage residents and business leaders to join together and, they say, hold DuPont Chambers Works "accountable" for its emissions of perflourooctanoic acid known as PFOA. Panel moderator was Ronald Espnoza a representative for the steelworkers.

The meeting at the YMCA in Carneys Point was attended by about 75 residents. The event included handouts with information about PFOA and DuPont. No DuPont representatives spoke at the meeting.

The panel, which included representatives from the United Steel Workers, The Delaware River Keeper Network, and the South Jersey Environmental Justice alliance, said that PFOAs have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory rats, but said its effect on humans is just beginning to be studied.

Attorney David Byrne spoke about a possible class action lawsuit that could be brought against DuPont by members of the community. Byrne encouraged residents to have their blood and water supplies tested for PFOAs.

DuPont Chambers Works officials had previously said the company plans on fighting the federal lawsuit filed in April involving the trace amounts of PFOAs found in some drinking water in Carneys Point, Penns Grove and Pennsville.

The lawsuit began when the Delaware Riverkeepers took random samples from homes in Penns Grove and Carneys Point and found small amounts of PFOA around 30 to 60 parts per trillion with the highest amounts being 89 parts per trillion.

Tests were also done in Pennsville showing around 20 parts per trillion.

Delaware River Keeper Network representative and panelist Tracy Carluccio said that there are currently no environmental tests required by the government to test for PFOAs.

The government and water companies "have failed with PFOAs," Carluccio said. "They don't test or have standards for them."

SOURCE:
http://www.nj.com/news/sunbeam/index.ss ... xml&coll=9
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