Multinational DuPont Company seems to have struck an easy bargain in its much-hyped pollution case. The company and the Bush administration recently reached an agreement to settle the allegation that the former hid the dangers of emissions of toxic chemical c8 or perfluorooctanoic acid (pfoa), produced in manufacturing Teflon. DuPont has been charged with using pfoa for over 50 years at its Washington Works plant, south of Parkersburg in West Virginia, causing widespread water contamination in two states and endangering thousands of people.

The company said it had reached "an agreement in principle' with the us Environmental Protection Agency (epa) and was prepared to dole out us $15 million for the deal. epa officials said the case was yet to be settled formally and the fine amount had not been fixed. "It's not quite resolved