PFOA stories

"There were so many other things going on," Karrh testified. "There wasno reason to do this study at that point in time, so, therefore, it wasdecided to put it on hold until we got the results from these otherstudies and then we could always go back and do it if we felt anindication for it."In 1978, Karrh wrote a scientific journal article that advised companiesto always report potential health threats from their chemicals toregulators."When it comes to such intensely emotional subjects as occupationallyrelated cancer and chronic illness caused by workplace conditions, acompany cannot risk the possibility of being placed in the compromisingposition of withholding information or making a false judgment about whoshould know what," he wrote. "It is the duty of every company'smanagement to discover and reveal the unvarnished facts about healthhazards."Why then, Bilott asked, did Karrh not tell the EPA about DuPont's humanbirth-defects data?"If you reported every little thing because it wasn't - just because itvery possibly a thousand years from now could be, then you'd lose thewhole purpose of it."To contact staff writer Ken Ward Jr., use e-mail or call 348-1702.