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On July 20, 2005 multiple class actions were filed by attorneys in several states, against DuPont Co., charging the chemicals giant hid the potential health hazards of its Teflon non-stick cookware coatings. The lawsuits filed in federal courts against E.I. DuPont de Nemours Co., call for DuPont to pay damages to class members, create a fund for medical monitoring of consumers who purchased products containing Teflon, and put warning labels on cookware with Teflon. The plaintiffs specifically want DuPont to spend $5 billion to replace the cookware, impose a warning label and create two funds to pay for medical monitoring and scientific research. "The class of potential plaintiffs could well contain almost every American that has purchased a pot or pan coated with DuPont's non-stick coating," said a plaintiff's lawyer who filed the case. In May, DuPont said it received a subpoena from the U.S. Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section to turn over documents about perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used to make Teflon coatings. The subpoena came a month after DuPont agreed to settle allegations by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency that the company had failed disclose health data about PFOA for two decades. In an e-mail statement, DuPont said it would vigorously defend itself against the allegations in the lawsuit.
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