3
TARGET 8-- WITH SIGNFICANT
BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS IN
ROCKFORD'S TOXIC TAP WATER
SAGA--IT'S A STORY ONLY WE'RE
REPORTING TONIGHT.
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BRIAN:..OUR INVESTIGATORS HAVE
UNCOVERED áPROOFá THAT
WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE WAS TOLD
ABOUT THE POTENTIAL HEALTH
DANGERS OF SCOTCHGARD -- WAY
BACK IN
1999.SUE:..OUR DISCOVERY IS
IMPORTANT BECAUSE WOLVERINE
HAS BEEN TELLING US-- AND
YOU-- THAT IT ONLY LEARNED
MONTHS AGO THAT PFOS--A LIKELY
CARCINOGEN-- WAS IN
SCOTCHGARD..... SCOTCHGARD
THAT WAS USED IN MAKING THEIR
SHOES-- AND THEN DUMPED IN A
BELMONT LANDFILL DECADES
AGO.BRIAN:..NOW THE BIG
QUESTION -- SHOULD THE
CLEAN-UP HAVE HAPPENED MUCH
SOONER? COULD HOMES HAVE BEEN
PREVENTED FROM BEING BUILT
NEAR DUMPS?TARGET 8
INVESTIGATOR KEN KOLKER IS
HERE TO SHOW US HOW SCOTCHGARD
MAKER 3-M IS POKING HOLES IN
WOLVERINE'S STORY TONIGHT--
KEN.
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KEN:..TODAY, 3M SENT US THIS
LETTER, WRITTEN TO A WOLVERINE
EXECUTIVE IN 1999, THAT SHOWS
IT SHARED INFORMATION WITH THE
ROCKFORD COMPANY ABOUT PFOS AT
AN EARLIER MEETING, AS 3-M
BEGAN PHASING PFOS OUT OF ITS
PRODUCTS.
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IT WAS FAXED BY 3M'S BUSINESS
DIRECTOR TO THEN WOLVERINE
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RICK
DEBLASIO ON JAN. 15, 1999, A
FOLLOW-UP TO A MEETING BETWEEN
THE COMPANIES FIVE DAYS
EARLIER.QUOTE: "THERE IS A
GROWING INTEREST IN
UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF
CHEMICALS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND
THE ENVIRONMENT.IT STATED THAT
3M STARTED MAKING PFOS IN 1948
AND THAT IT HAD RECENTLY
DISCOVERED THE CHEMICAL IN
BLOOD OF EXPOSED PEOPLE AND
QUOTE: "HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
ACCUMULATE IN THE BODY WITH
REPEATED EXPOSURES."3M SAID IT
HAD INFORMED WOLVERINE ABOUT
THE ISSUE IN A MATERIAL SAFETY
DATA SHEET IN LATE 1998 --
NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO.3M SAID
ITS STUDIES AT THE TIME SHOWED
NO ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS ON
ITS EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO PFOS.
BUT IN THE LETTER, THE COMPANY
SAID IT WAS LOOKING FOR WAYS
TO CHANGE ITS FORMULA."OUR
EFFORTS ARE BEING GUIDED BY
THE CONCEPT THAT BEING GUIDED
BY
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THE CONCEPT THAT REDUCING
UNNECESSARY HUMAN AND
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO A
PERSISENT CHEMICAL IS THE
PRUDENT AND RESPONSIBLE THING
TO DO."BY 2002, 3M HAD
VOLUNTARILY PHASED OUT PFOS,
CHANGING THE FORMULA FOR THE
SCOTCHGARD THAT WOLVERINE USED
TO TREAT ITS SHOES AT THE
ROCKFORD TANNERY.THREE YEARS
LATER, A DRAFT BY THE EPA
SUGGESTED THERE WAS EVIDENCE
THAT PFOS COULD CAUSE CANCER
IN HUMANS.AT TARGET 8'S
REQUEST, 3M'S ATTORNEY ALSO
SENT A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT
READS:"WE ARE SURPRISED TO SEE
THAT WOLVERINE CLAIMS IT WAS
UNAWARE OF THE FACT THAT PFOS
WAS USED AT ITS FORMER TANNERY
AND, APPARENTLY, THAT IT WAS
UNAWARE OF 3M'S VOLUNTARY
DECISION TO PHASE OUT OF THE
CHEMISTRIES IN QUESTION. THE
RECORD REFLECTS OTHERWISE."
"BEYOND THE FACT THAT 3M'S
PHASEOUT DECISION AND
LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE MADE
NATIONAL HEADLINES, 3M
PERSONALLY MET WITH WOLVERINE
LONG BEFORE AND DURING THE
TIME OF THE PHASEOUT
ANNOUNCEMENT IN MAY 2000.
THESE MEETINGS WERE TO DISCUSS
PFOS, SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT
THE COMPOUND, AND ADVISE OF
3M'S VOLUNTARY EFFORTS TO
PHASE OUT OF THE CHEMISTRIES."
IT SAYS THAT QUOTE: "3M BEARS
NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES OF
WOLVERINE."WOLVERINE HAS SAID
IT DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL RECENTLY
THAT PFOA AND PFOS HAD BEEN IN
SCOTCHGARD.ON ITS WEB SITE, IT
WROTE: "WE NOW KNOW THAT
SCOTCHGARDa" CONTAINED
PFOA/PFOS UNTIL 3M CHANGED THE
FORMULA AROUND 2002."WOLVERINE
DUMPED SLUDGE FROM ITS TANNERY
AT THE HOUSE STREET DUMP UNTIL
1970.THIS YEAR, TESTS STARTED
SHOWING HIGH LEVELS OF PFOS IN
NEIGHBORING WELLS.IN A RECENT
INTERVIEW WITH TARGET 8, A
WOLVERINE EXECUTIVE REFUSED TO
RESPOND TO QUESTIONS ABOAUT
WHAT IT KNEW AND
WHEN. KEN KOLKER,
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TARGET 8: SHOULD WOLVERINE
HAVE KNOWN BACK IN 2002 OR IN
THE EARLY 200OS THAT THIS
SCOTCHARD WAS AT THAT LANDFILL
AND 3M HAD DETRMINED THAT THEY
SHOULD NOT BE MAKING THAT KIND
OF SCOTCHGARD ANYMORE, AND
THIS COULD BE A DANGER?
CHRISTOPHER HUFNAGEL, SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY:
"THIS IS A NEW AND EMERGING
TOPIC. WE ARE FOCUSED RIGHT
NOW ON UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN THEOUSE STREET
AREA AND ANYP-LACE ELSE. AND
LOOKING OT FIND A RESOLUTION."
NEIGHBORS QUESTION WHY
WOLVERINE DIDN'T INFORM THEM
YEARS AGO.BITE...
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WE JUST GOT THIS STATEMENT
INTO THE NEWSROOM FROM
WOLVERINE...IT SAYS, QUOTING
HERE: "WOLVERINE USED 3M'S
SCOTCHGARD PRODUCT (WHICH
CONTAINED PFAS) FROM ABOUT
1960 THROUGH 2002 WHEN THE
PRODUCT WAS REFORMULATED. 3M
HAS ALWAYS ASSURED WOLVERINE
(AS IT ASSURED 3M HAS ALWAYS
PRODUCT WAS WHEN THE THROUGH
2002 FROM ABOUT 1960 CONTAINED
PFAS) PRODUCT (WHICH FROM
STATEMENT INTO WE JUST GOT
THIS
3
BITE...YEARS AGO.WOLVERINE
DIDN'T QUESTION WHY NEIGHBORS
RESOLUTION."FIND A ANYP-LACE
ELSE. STREET AREA AND
UNDERSTANDING RIGHT NOW ON
EMERGING TOPIC. WE ARE FOCUSED
RIGHT NOW ON UNDERSTANDING IN
THEOUSE ANYP-LACE ELSE. AND
LOOKING OT FIND A RESOLUTION."
QUESTION WHY INFORM THEM YEARS
AGO.BITE...
3
WE JUST GOT THIS STATEMENT
INTO THE NEWSROOM FROM
WOLVERINE...IT SAYS, QUOTING
HERE: "WOLVERINE USED 3M'S
SCOTCHGARD PRODUCT (WHICH
CONTAINED PFAS) FROM ABOUT
1960 THROUGH 2002 WHEN THE
PRODUCT WAS REFORMULATED. 3M
HAS ALWAYS ASSURED WOLVERINE
(AS IT DOES IN ITS LETTER),
THE EPA AND THE PUBLIC THAT
THE CHEMICAL IS SAFE FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH.
WOLVERINE ACTED IN GOOD FAITH
BASED ON THAT INFORMATION AND
ALWAYS COMPLIED WITH EPA AND
STATE REGULATIONS."
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BRIAN:..