Two Ohio plaintiffs are awaiting the jurors’ decision in the first suits against DuPont de Nemours Inc. These plaintiffs – the first two in a group of 60 people bringing suit – allege that the company discharged chemical waste from its Washington Works plant. That plant is located in the West Virginia panhandle near the Ohio River.
The chemicals in question are called PFAS, or Perperfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. These man-made chemicals can stay in the human body for decades. For this reason, PFAS is also called “forever chemicals.”
DuPont had purchased these PFAS chemicals from 3M and then used them to produce stain-resistant fabrics and Teflon for pots and pans. The runoff from these production processes caused the toxic chemicals to spill into the water. If more than 50 parts per trillion of the chemical PFOA is present in drinking water, then consumption of the water can cause certain conditions.
Ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and preeclampsia (which damages the organs of pregnant women) are all directly linked to PFOA exposure in drinking water.
The first two cases of the 60 are from a woman with kidney cancer and a man with testicular cancer. Lawyers for the woman, Angie Swartz of Gallia County, are seeking $8.5 million for her and $3 million for her husband, Teddy Swartz. Lawyers for the man, Travis Abbott of Meigs County, are seeking $105 million for him and $15 million for his wife, Julie Abbott.
Jurors are now deciding whether or not to award damages to the plaintiffs.