PFOA 2006
DuPont gives to Wood schools .
The Marietta Times (Ohio). January 6, 2006.

 
 

Return to
PFOA Class Action Suit
Newspaper articles and Documents related to PFOA Class Action

-
See brief introduction to PFOA and PFOS

-


http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new87_16200681742.asp

January 6, 2006

The Marietta Times (Ohio)

DuPont gives to Wood schools

PARKERSBURG — Wood County Schools will receive $1.25 million over the next three years as part of DuPont’s C8 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The money comes with strings attached, however, requiring the school district to use the funds to create eco-friendly lessons for junior- and senior-high school chemistry classes.

No school districts in Washington County will receive money from the settlement, although significant portions of C8 were located in both Belpre and Little Hocking.

This decision was part of the confidential settlement agreement between DuPont and the U.S. EPA, an EPA official said Thursday. No further information about why Washington County districts weren’t included was available.

In December, DuPont agreed to pay $10.25 million in fines and $6.25 million for environmental projects as part of a settlement with the government agency. The EPA had alleged the company hid information about the dangers of a chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon.

About $1.25 million of the project money was earmarked for a supplemental environmental project in Wood County Schools. The money will pay for micro-scale chemistry and green chemistry programs in the district’s junior high and high schools.

"We are very excited to be partnering with Wood County Schools," said Robin Ollis, spokeswoman for DuPont Washington Works. "We think this will have a positive impact on students and their scientific backgrounds for many, many years."

Superintendent Bill Niday said he was very surprised to hear of the project money and had to ask Ollis to repeat herself when she first called with the news.

"We certainly didn’t expect to be a beneficiary in this process," Niday said, "but I think this will be a wonderful addition for the schools and will also benefit the community."

Ollis said the program money was included in the company’s agreement with the EPA because both organizations wanted to somehow benefit both education and environmental awareness.

"It was a way for the EPA and the company to specifically target areas of mutual interest," she said.

Both programs are designed to promote safe, environmentally friendly scientific lesson plans.

 
Fluoride Action Network | Pesticide Project | 315-379-9200 | pesticides@fluoridealert.org