Class-Action Lawsuits Filed over Teflon
By Jaimee Wolbert
Published on August 11, 2005
The lawsuits allege that the maker of Teflon, E.I. DuPont Nemours & Co., failed to warn consumers about chemicals that can be released when pans with the coating are heated to temperatures of 464 or more degrees.
Court papers claim that Dupont was aware of, or should have been aware of, the harmful nature of the chemicals. The suits are seeking reimbursement for Teflon products, and funds to monitor consumer safety and to study the health effects of the product.
The company continues to maintain that Teflon is completely safe and that it does not contain the suspected carcinogen PFOA, one of the most commonly cited Teflon-related health risks.
DuPont has already reached a $70 million settlement with residents near their Teflon manufacturing plants in West Virginia and Ohio, over the contamination of water sources with PFOA.
The money from the previous lawsuit will be used to further study the health risks associated with this chemical.
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