In March 2002 the then West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection spokesman, Andy Gallagher, drafted a media release to inform residents in Wood County, West Virginia, that the toxic chemical C8 was in air emissions from DuPont's Parkersburg plant. In a deposition as part of a class action suit by residents Gallagher stated that Dee Ann Staats, a toxicologist working as the departments' science adviser, insisted that all statements relating to C8 emissions were to be vetted by DuPont. Gallagher's testimony, obtained from the federal Environment Protection Agency under the Freedom of Information Act, reveals that when Gallagher issued the statement without the approval of Staats or the company, DuPont went all out to kill the release. A DuPont PR official, Dawn Jackson, contacted Ann Bradley, a lawyer with Spilman Thomas & Battle who represent DuPont. After lobbying from the company, Gallagher withdrew the media release.
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