DOVER — The DuPont Co. and its spinoff business Chemours have agreed to resolve legal disputes over environmental liabilities for pollution related to man-made chemicals associated with an increased risk of cancer and other health problems.
The binding memorandum of understanding announced Friday comes just over a month after Delaware’s Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that DuPont massively downplayed the cost of environmental liabilities imposed on Chemours when DuPont spun off its former performance chemicals unit in 2015.
The chemicals at issue are known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. They include perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, which was used in the production of Teflon and have also been used in firefighting foam, water-repellent clothing, and many other households and personal items. They sometimes are referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their longevity in the environment.
