DuPont to Pay $9 Million in Chemical Exposure Lawsuits

By Monica Galvan

Published on May 21, 2007

The tentative settlement will award compensation to six families in Britain and New Zealand as well as 26 other claimants whose children were born without eyes or with abnormally small eyes, a condition also found in laboratory rats exposed to Benlate.

DuPont declined to comment on the details of the pending settlement for these lawsuits, which have been in court since 1997. The company remains committed to creating sustainable scientific solutions to help promote safer, healthier lifestyles for people around the world, according to DuPont’s website.

This news comes on the heels of an April settlement between DuPont and Hawaii growers who claimed that the contaminated Benlate fungicide damaged their crops. DuPont ceased production of Benlate in 2001 in the face of several lawsuits, but there has not been any conclusive scientific evidence regarding the toxicity of the defunct chemical.

Confirmation of the $9 million settlement is expected shortly.

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