The first of two test cases that could potentially help settle more than 3,500 similar lawsuits against chemical giant DuPont has begun in Ohio federal court.
The suit alleges that the Delaware-based company knew the potentially dangerous risks posed by a chemical its plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia had been depositing into the Ohio River, but declined to inform the public.
The thousands of cases against the company say DuPont's decades-long dumping of perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as C8, into local drinking water has caused serious disease - including cancer.
DuPont's Washington Works plant used C8 to make Teflon products.
Unlike a class-action lawsuit, each plaintiff in the litigation against DuPont requires their own lawsuit because each case involves specific individual medical issues.