In Court

Synthetic worries: US chemical giant, DuPont Corporation wants a hearing before an administrative law judge about a government complaint about its apparent lapse in providing information about the potential health and environmental risks of a chemical component of Teflon. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alleged that DuPont has not submitted information regarding the synthetic chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The EPA is seeking millions of dollars in fines from DuPont for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In response, DuPont said it had no legal obligation to provide information to the EPA about PFOA levels in the blood of pregnant employees at its plant in West Virginia, and in nearby drinking water supplies. It maintains that the PFOA detected posed no risk and therefore did not meet the 'substantial risk' threshold that necessitated reporting.