Submitted by Bob Burton on
In March 2002, Andy Gallagher, then the spokesperson for West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection, drafted a media release to inform residents in Wood County that the toxic chemical C8 was being emitted from DuPont's local plant. But the statement was never released. A Freedom of Information Act request filed with the federal Environment Protection Agency revealed that, in response to Gallagher's draft statement, DuPont PR official Dawn Jackson contacted company lawyer Ann Bradley. Due to DuPont's lobbying, Gallagher edited and then withdrew the statement. Last year, as part of a class action suit filed by local residents, Gallagher said West Virginia state toxicologist Dee Ann Staats insisted that all statements relating to C8 emissions be vetted by DuPont.
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