Here’s a story that’ll make your blood boil: DuPont, one of America’s corporate titans, is cutting a $27 million check for poisoning an entire New York village’s water—with “forever chemicals”—and, in true corporate fashion, they’re calling it closure.
At a Glance
- DuPont will pay $27 million to settle claims over toxic PFOA contamination in the water supply of Hoosick Falls, NY.
- The deal follows years of health fears, plummeting property values, and legal battles for the rural community.
- DuPont is the last of the major companies involved to settle, bringing the total payout from corporate polluters to over $90 million.
- The settlement includes $6 million for a medical monitoring program but still needs a federal judge’s approval.
Corporate Accountability, or Just Damage Control?
DuPont’s $27 million settlement comes with a carefully worded statement distancing the company from its own mess. The chemical giant, which supplied Teflon materials containing PFOA to a local plant, insists the lawsuit is “related to its former performance chemicals business,” which it conveniently spun off in 2015—right before the contamination crisis exploded.
For years, residents of Hoosick Falls drank water laced with PFOA, a toxic “forever chemical” linked by the EPA to serious health problems, including kidney and testicular cancer. The other companies involved, Saint-Gobain and Honeywell, settled their part of the lawsuit in 2021. Now, facing an impending trial, DuPont is shelling out millions to make the problem go away.
A Decade of Fear for Hoosick Falls
For the families of Hoosick Falls, this settlement comes after more than a decade of fear and uncertainty. They lived with the knowledge that every glass of water could carry a hidden price. Property values in the village cratered, and residents faced a future of medical anxiety.
The new $27 million settlement, announced by the residents’ law firm, includes $6 million for a 20-year medical monitoring program. This means victims get to watch and wait for symptoms to appear, funded by the very corporation that supplied the poison. This isn’t justice; it’s a corporatized apology.
The Cycle of ‘Forever Chemicals’ and Empty Promises
Hoosick Falls is just one chapter in a nationwide saga of contamination from PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” These compounds don’t break down in the environment and build up in the human body. While the EPA has finally started to regulate these substances, critics argue it’s too little, too late.
This settlement isn’t a revolution; it’s a calculated business expense for a company that has spent decades lobbying against meaningful regulation.
SETTLED: DuPont has agreed to a $27 million settlement for emitting perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in Hoosick for years, which ended up in the town’s drinking water. This “forever chemical” has been linked to increased risks of various forms of cancer. pic.twitter.com/yeUllzOlzA
— Environmental Advocates NY (@greenwatchdogNY) July 10, 2025
The message from corporate America is clear: poison a town, write a check, and go back to business as usual. For the working families left to pick up the pieces, there are no spin-offs for responsibility and no settlements that can buy back their peace of mind.
