Steelworkers union president supports Teflon lawsuit against DuPont in New Jersey

By Holly Fleming

Published on May 31, 2006

The USW union has 850,000 members in total, and 1800 members at six DuPont plants.

Gerard stated that they have joined with communities in New Jersey and other states to hold DuPont accountable for any contamination of water supplies from their plants, and any adverse health effects on workers and nearby residents. He said that the union members working at DuPont would have high amounts of exposure.

DuPont is the only U.S. manufacturer of PFOA, and utilizes it and other perfluorochemicals, known as PFCs, to produce Teflon and other products at New Jersey's Chambers Works plant.

A coalition of the USW, Sierra Club, Environmental Law Foundation, Environment California, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Environmental Working Group filed a petition in California in February to have PFOA listed as a carcinogen under California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65.

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