DuPont Won’t Face Charges / U.S. Reviewed Company’s Reports on Teflon Chemical Found in Some Va. Workers

DuPont Co. will not face criminal charges arising from allegations that it hid information about a toxic chemical used to make the nonstick coating Teflon, the company said yesterday.

DuPont said it was informed Friday that the Justice Department had finished its review of information obtained in a May 2005 grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The subpoena called on the company to provide information, including documents it previously gave to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is investigating the potential health risks of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, also known as C-8.

The man-made chemical raised concerns after it was found in the environment and the blood of workers at some DuPont sites, including its Spruance plant in Chesterfield County.

“Their decision supports our position that DuPont acted responsibly in this matter,” said Stacey J. Mobley, DuPont senior vice president and general counsel, in a statement released yesterday. “DuPont remains committed to operate to the highest standards of ethical behavior and environmental responsibility,” he added.

DuPont said in February it plans to eliminate PFOA by 2015.

Andrew Ames, a spokesman for the Justice Department, confirmed yesterday that the review was completed and criminal charges would not be pursued.

The chemical giant agreed in December 2005 to pay $10.5 million in fines and $6.25 million for environmental projects to settle the EPA’s allegations that the company violated the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by withholding information about the potential health risks posed by perfluorooctanoic acid and about the pollution of water supplies around the company’s Washington Works plant near Parkersburg, W.Va.

The 2005 settlement resolved EPA’s primary complaint over failure to report information about movement of PFOA across the placenta, as well as seven other counts.

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Originally published by The Associated Press.

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