DuPont must pay record $10.25m fine in Teflon case

CHICAGO -- DuPont will pay a record $10.25 million fine for failing to tell the Environmental Protection Agency what the company knew about a chemical used to make Teflon, including studies that found the substance in human blood and say it should be considered ''extremely toxic."

Federal regulators hope the legal settlement will help solve an environmental mystery that has baffled researchers. Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, is turning up throughout the world, from polar bears near the Arctic Circle to toddlers in American cities. But scientists are not sure why.

Until recently, very little has been known about PFOA and related chemicals outside of DuPont and a handful of other companies, even though the chemicals have been used for more than 50 years to make nonstick cookware and hundreds of other products.

The EPA's settlement with DuPont, announced yesterday, involves a series of company studies the government says should have been disclosed under federal law.

Regulators have learned from industry research that the chemical builds up in blood and takes years to leave the body.