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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

NC Attorney General Alleges DuPont Has Decades-Old Internal Data On Dangers Of C8

NC DOJ
NC Attorney General Josh Stein is suing DuPont, Chemours, and other business entities for damaging NC's natural resources and creating risks to human health.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein says DuPont company officials have known for four decades that its chemicals are harmful to humans.  The allegation is part of a lawsuit filed last month by the state Department of Justice.  

The complaint alleges that DuPont, its spinoff Chemours, and other company entities severely contaminated North Carolina’s environment, causing extensive harm to the state’s natural resources and creating significant risks for its residents through the discharge of toxic chemicals – including GenX. 

Those risks, say the suit, include certain types of cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, asthma, immune system problems, and ulcerative colitis.  So far, PFAS researchers have been cautious about drawing those definitive links – citing the need for a larger body of research. 

But Attorney General Stein says he has evidence DuPont had its own incriminating data.

"In our complaint, we allege that they knew that their workers had health consequences from working with these chemicals.  And we will have all manner of experts and expert testimony in our trial to prove the assertion that I’m making in our complaint."

The suit also states that DuPont did not report its data to any government agency, and in fact, told North Carolina officials that C8 poses no health concern to humans or animals. 

In a statement to WHQR, Chemours says it has operated as an independent company since July of 2015 – and that it has taken and continues to take definitive action to address historic and current emissions and discharges at its Fayetteville site. 

This story is part of a larger conversation on the November 18, 2020 edition of CoastLine, which you can find here.  

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.