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DuPont, 3M, and Chemours: Insidious, evil, and forever

  • The Garbage Lady
  • Nov 20, 2023
  • 10 min read

Updated: Jul 18, 2024



Insidious (adj): Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects

Evil (adj): Morally reprehensible or causing harm

 

Through reckless practices driven by capitalistic greed, DuPont, 3M, and Chemours have enabled the proliferation of toxic PFAS while knowing the adverse effects these chemicals have on humans and animals. These companies have willingly polluted air, soil, and water, causing deaths and disruption in communities. They have repeatedly misled consumers about product safety and downplayed risks despite an overwhelming amount of evidence and ongoing lawsuits. While this article has an extremely limited scope, the details covered more than justify this induction. Guys, welcome to the GIC Hall of Shame!


Important: Be sure to check out the list of actions you can take below. If you do one thing, tell Congress to stop the PFAS contamination crisis: Contact your state’s representatives using this form provided by Environmental Working Group (EWG).


I sometimes joke that for every problem man solves, he creates five more. In this case, DuPont, with an assist from 3M and Chemours, has created not five but over sixteen thousand problems in the form of PFAS, or poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances. These substances are commonly known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily degrade and instead persist in the environment and in our bodies, seemingly forever. Over time, they tend to bioaccumulate, meaning their concentration builds through repeat exposure. These chemicals have been associated with dozens of health issues, some of which include altered immune and thyroid function, liver and kidney disease, lipid and insulin dysregulation, adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes, and multiple cancers. (See a detailed list of adverse health issues below.)


PFAS are now present in the blood of nearly all humans: 97% of the global population and 99.7% of the US population, including newborn babies. Scientists have detected PFAS in 625 animal species across all continents. It’s estimated that the drinking water of 200 million people in the US is contaminated with PFAS. These numbers will certainly continue to grow considering the widespread use of these chemicals and their accumulating persistence in the environment.  

There is seemingly no place on the planet untouched by PFAS contamination – David Q. Andrews, senior scientist at Environmental Working Group

PFAS have been in use for more than 80 years and today are found in countless products, including stain- and water-resistant fabrics, cleaning products, personal care products, cosmetics, food packaging, outdoor furniture, and non-stick cookware. (See a detailed list of products found to have PFAS below.) In 1946, the first consumer exposure came in the form of Teflon, a coating created by 3M using the PFAS chemical PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid, also called C8) as its key substance. 3M later sold PFOA to DuPont in 1951 and provided a memorandum stating that the PFOA substance should not be disposed of in water. (Keep this memorandum in mind; it’ll come up later.)


In the early 2000s, some of you might recall hearing about birds dying in homes where Teflon pans were used for cooking. EWG covered this phenomenon in a May 2003 article, Canaries in the kitchen. “Teflon toxicosis,”as it was named, was attributed to two PFAS used in Teflon coatings: PFOA and PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene). After a chicken farmer installed Teflon-coated heat lamps in his coop, the entire flock was dead the next day. Hundreds of bird-related websites began warning bird owners about the dangers of Teflon. In response, DuPont bullied these sites, sending intimidating letters demanding they cease mentions of Teflon and the effect of its toxic fumes on birds.


From the beginning, DuPont has claimed that Teflon coatings do not emit hazardous chemicals through normal use. However, DuPont’s own scientists began studying heated Teflon in the 1950s when workers began developing polymer fume fever—a condition with flu-like symptoms and a precursor to a potentially fatal condition called pulmonary edema. Despite DuPont’s claims, in the first 50 years that Teflon was on the market, at least 16 peer-reviewed studies—including DuPont's own—showed that Teflon releases 15 toxic gases and particles. Tests commissioned by EWG found that toxic fumes occured within two to five minutes while preheating a Teflon pan on a conventional stovetop.


Remember that memorandum stating that the PFOA substance should not be disposed of in water? DuPont apparently ignored it, because between 1951 and 2003, they released 1.7 million pounds of PFOA into the air, ground, and water from the company’s plant in Parkersburg, North Carolina. The affected water source was the Ohio River. Cattle on a local farm started dying and calves were born with specific facial deformities. Children’s teeth turned black, and dogs developed tumors. Two women who worked at the plant gave birth to babies who had facial deformities similar to those seen in the calves. At least fifteen DuPont workers died of testicular, thyroid, and rectal cancers. Some cancer victims survived, colons removed and colostomy bags a lifelong reminder of how lucky they were.


Throughout this same period, DuPont’s own scientists had been studying PFAS and had known that they pose health risks. DuPont knew for more than four decades that PFOA in particular caused testicular, pancreatic, and liver cancers in lab animals. Yet the company never informed its workers, local communities, or environmental officials about the dangers.


The truth finally came out in 1999, when a class-action lawsuit led by attorney Robert Bilott exposed 120 internal DuPont documents, including their own studies. In the 2018 documentary, “The Devil We Know,” footage is shown of Charles O. Holliday, the CEO of DuPont at the time, Bruce Karrh, DuPont's corporate medical director, and Kathleen Forte, DuPont's public relations officer, admitting to knowingly polluting the local water source. The title of the documentary comes from an internal DuPont document in the face of the lawsuit: The company decided to stick with “the devil we know” because developing a safer alternative to PFOA would be too costly.


DuPont agreed to pay a $343 million settlement and agreed to phase out the use of PFOA, but only after they had found a substitute: GenX, another PFAS shown to cause many of the same health problems as PFOA, and in some cases found to be even more toxic. GenX, along with other newer PFAS, are also much more difficult to remove from water. The US finally banned PFOA in 2014. (Europe banned it in 2008, though it continues to be used in other countries, mainly China, and can be found in goods manufactured in those countries.)


DuPont created a spin-off company, Chemours, to take on the manufacturing of GenX at their plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina—and to assume various liabilities for lawsuits against DuPont. And what did Chemours do? They dumped toxic GenX compounds into the Cape Fear River, the water source for hundreds of thousands of people in the area, and they released toxic vapors from the plant stacks into the air. At one point, a flock of birds flew through the vapors and dropped dead on the plant rooftop. The water contamination included not just GenX, but an additional 11 PFAS as well. Chemours agreed to provide affected residents with replacement drinking water, but Chemours didn’t agree to pay for a reverse osmosis plant to treat PFAS contamination specifically. That financial burden has fallen to the residents, through increased water bills amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.


Since 2018, the Chemours plant in Fayetteville has also been tasked with the handling of GenX waste from another Chemours facility in The Netherlands. It turns out that Europe regulates PFAS waste, whereas the US does not. Chemours in Fayetteville imported 116 tons of GenX waste in 2018 and is expected to import up to another 2,000 tons (4 million pounds) in the coming year.


Audaciously, Chemours has claimed that GenX and other PFAS chemicals will help protect the planet from climate change. (Perhaps this claim is true, if we all die off from PFAS-related health issues.) In reality, PFAS manufacturing releases greenhouse gas chemicals, aside from the detrimental effects on the environment and its inhabitants.


You may have noticed that the Environmental Protection Agency isn’t mentioned in this article. The omission is intentional. While the agency has played a key role in the PFAS crisis, they have been an enabler rather than an instigator, and I wanted to keep the spotlight on the three hall-of-shamers.


Adverse health issues caused by PFAS exposure

  • Altered immune function: Reduced ability of the immune system to fight infections, weakened childhood immunity, increased hospitalization of children for infectious diseases, reduced vaccine response

  • Developmental and reproductive issues: Facial deformities, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, pregnancy-induced hypertension, fertility issues, changes in hormone levels at birth and during childhood

  • Blackened teeth in children

  • Neurotoxicity, behavioral and cognitive disorders

  • Increased cholesterol

  • Endocrine disruption

  • Cellular homeostasis and oxidative status

  • Reduced kidney function, kidney disease, kidney cancer

  • Testicular cancer

  • Liver enzyme changes, liver disease, liver cancer

  • Pancreatic cancer

  • Rectal cancer

  • Disturbed gut microbiome, bowel disease, ulcerative colitis

  • Altered thyroid function, thyroid disease, thyroid cancer

  • Altered metabolism, increased risk of being overweight or obese, weight gain in children and dieting adults

  • Lipid and insulin dysregulation

  • Polymer fume fever, pulmonary edema


Products found to have PFAS chemicals

PFAS can enter the body through food, water, and dust, and through exposure to a wide range of consumer products. PFAS end up in food when plants and animals are grown, raised, or processed in contaminated areas, and through contact with food packaging or cookware that contains PFAS. When products that contain PFAS are disposed of, soil, water, and air are further contaminated.

  • Non-stick cookware

  • Grease resistant paper: Fast food containers/wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, candy wrappers

  • Personal care products: Body lotion, body oil, cuticle treatment, eye cream, hair cream, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, dental floss, anti-aging cream, moisturizer, bar soap, nail strengthener, powder, hair spray and mousse, skin scrub, shaving cream, sunscreen

  • Cosmetics: Nail polish, foundation, blush, concealer, eye pencil, eye shadow, mascara, brow products, lip liner, lipstick, makeup remover

  • Toilet paper

  • Menstrual products, period underwear

  • Incontinence products

  • Hand sanitizer

  • Water-resistant or -repellant clothing

  • Wrinkle-free clothing

  • Stain-resistant furniture and carpeting

  • Fingerprint-resistant glass

  • Cleaning products

  • Lubricants

  • Brake fluid

  • Pesticides

  • Paints, varnishes, and sealants

  • Firefighting foams

  • Pharmaceutical packaging

  • Filters used by wineries to strain wine prior to bottling

  • Guitar strings

  • Artificial turf

  • Climbing ropes

  • Coatings for tennis rackets

  • Ski wax

  • Fishing lines

  • Wooden boats

  • Sail covers

  • Lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars


PFAS chemicals are also used in industrial and commercial applications, including mining, oil production, plastics and rubber production, paper production, car manufacturing, aeronautics manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, air conditioning, photography, printing, book conservation, watchmaking, fingerprinting, and particle physics. They are used in coatings for windmill blades, solar energy collectors and photovoltaic cells, and greenhouse windows. Absurdly and ironically, PFAS chemicals are also used in membranes for water purification.


Actions you can take

  • Tell Congress to stop the PFAS contamination crisis: Contact your state’s representatives using this form provided by EWG. (It’s super quick and easy—just do it.)

  • Check product ingredients for words containing “fluoro”: Perfluorononyl dimethicone, Perfluorodecalin, Tetradecyl aminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate are just a few examples. (Remember, there are thousands of these substances.)

  • Avoid non-stick cookware made prior to 2014 and make sure that it’s PFOA-free. While Teflon made with PFOA has been banned in the US and Europe, it can still be found in products made in China or other countries. This helpful guide from CNET provides details and alternatives, such as ceramic, cast iron, and carbon steel. My advice is to avoid cookware with synthetic non-stick or ceramic coatings since it typically needs to be replaced every 3-5 years. Invest in cookware that will last a lifetime and you’ll save money over time.

  • Bring your own containers for takeout and restaurant leftovers.

  • Refer to this guide from EWG to see which fast food restaurants have either phased out or continue to use PFAS-coated packaging.

  • Check the Toxic-Free Future site for a list of retailers committing to phase out PFAS as a class in food packaging and products.

  • Avoid microwavable popcorn bags. Make your own stovetop popcorn instead.

  • Avoid stain-resistant coatings on furniture.

  • Avoid clothing made with Scotchgard and Gore-Tex. Ecocult has some alternative recommendations for outdoor enthusiasts.

  • Use natural cleaning products. I’m a big fan of Grove since the products are mostly plastic-free, but I usually rely on good ol’ baking soda and vinegar, and sometimes a splash of dish soap.

  • Check to see if your water source is affected using the interactive map from EWG and invest in a water filter that can handle PFAS.

  • Contact your health care provider if you’re interested in PFAS blood testing, but know that it isn’t widely available and likely not covered by insurance.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay


Sources

While writing this article, I discovered an overwhelming amount of information on the dangers of PFAS and the misdeeds of DuPont, 3M, and Chemours. If you want to dive deeper, I highly recommend the articles written by Sharon Lerner for The Intercept. She’s been reporting on PFAS since 2016 and has published dozens of articles on the topic. Hers is the most comprehensive reporting I’ve found.

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