C8 Associated with High Blood Pressure in MOV Children

New evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to a controversial industrial solvent may be to blame for high blood pressure in local children. 

DuPont officials say they have already begun a voluntary phase out process intended to bring the use of perfluorooctanoic acid to a halt globally. 

C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, was detected in local drinking water supplies in 2001 and 2002 – the result of emissions from DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia where the chemical has been used for decades to make Teflon and other consumer applications.  The discovery of the chemical contamination led to a class action lawsuit against DuPont brought by local water consumers who feared health effects from exposure to the manmade surfactant. Communities with water systems impacted by the contamination include Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking and Pomeroy, Ohio - and Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia.

As the result of the class action lawsuit settlement, an independent panel of epidemiologists known as the C8 Science Panel determined after several years of study that C8 exposure is linked to pre-eclampsia, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and kidney and testicular cancer.  Dozens of area residents who have fallen ill are in the process of filing personal injury claims against the company, which will be handled as multi-district litigation in federal court. 

It has been more than a year since the C8 Science Panel completed their obligation to the court and released their probable link findings. Yet, the blood serum and medical data gathered from Mid-Ohio Valley residents to draw those conclusions is still being used in studies all over the world as scientists try to learn more about the properties of C8 and its impact on human health.  

Recently, a scientific journal published the results of a study which examined the association between prenatal exposure in Mid-Ohio Valley mothers and the incidences of high blood pressure observed in their fifth grade children. 

C8 exposure has been associated with an increased risk of high cholesterol and pregnancy induced hypertension, but this is the first study to examine a potential correlation between PFOA exposure and high blood pressure in children.  

A cross-sectional analysis revealed that increased prenatal exposure was associated “with increased odds of high blood pressure in children with stronger associations for high diastolic than combined blood pressure or high systolic”.  

Collaborating study authors included Dr. Tony Fletcher – a member of the C8 Science Panel and epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, West Virginia University, the University of California Berkeley, UK, and the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health. 

The study concluded that in utero PFOA may be associated with elevated blood pressure in children exposed while in the womb.  However, it is noted that study power is limited and the results need further examination and confirmation. 

DuPont spokesman Dan Turner said the company does not have a statement regarding the high blood pressure study.  

DuPont: C8 Phase Out Ahead of Schedule

DuPont officials say they will no longer be in the C8 business in 2014 – one year ahead of a voluntary global phase out program initiated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, was detected in local drinking water supplies in 2001 and 2002 – the result of emissions from DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia where the chemical has been used for decades to make Teflon and other consumer applications.  The discovery of the chemical contamination led to a class action lawsuit against DuPont brought by local water consumers who feared health effects from exposure to the manmade surfactant. Communities with water systems impacted by the contamination include Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking and Pomeroy, Ohio - and Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia.

As the result of the class action lawsuit settlement, an independent panel of epidemiologists known as the C8 Science Panel determined after several years of study that C8 exposure is linked to pre-eclampsia, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and kidney and testicular cancer.  Dozens of area residents who have fallen ill are in the process of filing personal injury claims against the company, which will be handled as multi-district litigation in federal court. 

Despite the settlement of the lawsuit, many questions remain about C8 and the extent to which it contaminated the local environment. For instance, the controversy began with the deaths of an entire herd of cattle, yet the company is so far refusing to provide EPA-requested testing of local cattle, locally grown produce, and many other sets of environmental monitoring data promised more than a decade ago.  By means of a voluntary regulatory process, a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2005, EPA hoped to gain insight into some of C8's more elusive properties - such as the chemical's capacity to travel in the environment, as well as the extent to which local game and produce had become contaminated. Yet, many of these questions remain unanswered. 

Cincinnati attorney Robert Bilott, who was the lead attorney for the class in the groundbreaking C8 suit, has been urging the EPA to force DuPont to provide the promised monitoring in order to "address ongoing threats to human health and the environment".

In a November letter to Bilott, EPA officials admit “additional data would have provided for a more thorough characterization of releases near the Washington Works site”.  Dr. Maria J. Doa, Director of the Chemical Control Division says DuPont participated in a monitoring program, but “did not fully meet the charge”. However, Doa insists the EPA is “not in a position to require DuPont to conduct additional monitoring”.

Doa points to agency efforts which have resulted in a Stewardship Program – a global initiative involving eight companies who have voluntarily pledged to phase out manufacturing of C8 by the end of 2015. 

DuPont spokesperson Janet Smith said the company has already stopped manufacturing C8 and is “on track to complete the conversion to alternatives” in 2014.

“DuPont stopped manufacturing PFOA in first quarter 2013,” Smith said. “We have also eliminated use of PFOA in the manufacture of fluoropolymers as of the end of June 2013.”

In the company’s annual report documenting progress in meeting the PFOA Stewardship Program goals, DuPont notes that the elimination of C8 in the manufacture of fluoropolymers was made two and a half years ahead of the EPA goal. 

DuPont C8 Monitoring Lacks Important Data

Many questions remain about the C8 contamination that has spread through the valley as a result of industrial activity at DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia. For instance, the controversy began with the deaths of an entire herd of cattle, yet the company is so far refusing to provide EPA-requested testing of local cattle, locally grown produce, and many other sets of environmental monitoring data promised more than a decade ago.

C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, was detected in local drinking water supplies in 2001 and 2002. The discovery led to a class action lawsuit against DuPont brought by local water consumers who feared health effects from exposure to the manmade surfactant.

As a result of the class action lawsuit settlement, an independent panel of epidemiologists known as the C8 Science Panel determined after several years of study that C8 exposure is linked to pre-eclampsia, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and kidney and testicular cancer. Dozens of area residents who have fallen ill are in the process of filing personal injury claims against the company, which will be handled as multi-district litigation in federal court.

This week, Cincinnati attorney Robert Bilott, who was the lead attorney for the class in the groundbreaking C8 suit, is urging the US EPA to force DuPont to provide the promised monitoring in order to “address ongoing threats to human health and the environment”.

Prior to the class action lawsuit, Bilott represented the Tennant family — a Washington, West Virginia family of farmers who lost their entire herd of 280 cattle to a mysterious wasting disease. His investigation into the cattle deaths led to the discovery of C8, or PFOA, in local water supplies including Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking and Pomeroy, Ohio — and Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia.

Yet, more than a decade after the deadly controversy came to light, in many ways the extent of the contamination remains unknown. The impact on local cattle, hens, milk, eggs and produce remains largely unmeasured.

Read the full story: Pomeroy Daily Sentinel - Bilott DuPont largely ignored EPA on C8 issues 

C8 Exposure Linked to High Cholesterol

In a final release of findings on Monday, the C8 Science Panel revealed a probable link between C8 exposure and high cholesterol in adults and children living in the Mid Ohio Valley.

The panel of three epidemiologists did not find a link between C8 exposure and Parkinson’s disease, non-malignant liver disease, non-malignant kidney disease, or osteoarthritis. Despite the link to high cholesterol, the panel did not find a probable link involving coronary artery disease or high blood pressure.

The panel was appointed by the court as part of a settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit filed by area residents against DuPont over the contamination of local water supplies with the manufacturing substance C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid. The manmade chemical compound has been used in the production of Teflon and other consumer applications at DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia since the 1950s.  In 2002, local water consumers discovered that C8 had made its way into wells and aquifers of Ohio communities including Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking, and Pomeroy. The contamination was also found in public water supplies in Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia. 

Last December, the C8 Science Panel linked C8 exposure to pregnancy-induced hypertension.  In April, the panel linked the manmade substance to kidney and testicular cancer.  In July, the panel linked C8 to thyroid disease and ulcerated colitis. Monday’s finding linking exposure to high cholesterol completes the C8 Science Panel’s obligation to the court.

Consequently, a medical panel has been appointed to decide what monitoring or screening might be appropriate for members of the class in light of the findings.  Also, class members who suffer from diseases linked to C8 are free to proceed with their own personal injury claims against DuPont. The class action settlement agreement indicates that DuPont may not dispute that C8 can cause the specific diseases which the C8 Science Panel has linked to exposure.

Panelist Dr. Kyle Steenland said high cholesterol impacts approximately 20 percent of the participants in the C8 Health Study whose blood serum and medical histories were collected as part of the class action settlement agreement. By following some of those participants over time, the Science Panel was able to observe a decrease in cholesterol levels as C8 exposure also diminished.

Steenland said while the panel’s legal role is over, he believes it is important to continue to follow this population for health outcomes in the future.



For more details, read my story for Heartland Publications:
http://www.mydailysentinel.com/view/full_story/20650202/article-Reports-link-C8-to-high-cholesterol?

C8 Personal Injury Claims Filed

Mid Ohio Valley residents with health problems linked to C8 exposure may soon have their own days in court. 

A Charleston, West Virginia attorney has filed the first three C8 personal injury lawsuits. It is the start of what could potentially be thousands of cases in the aftermath of an epidemiological study that established probable links between C8 exposure and several different types of human disease.  

It all came about as the result of a class action lawsuit filed in Wood County Circuit Court by area residents against DuPont over the contamination of local water supplies with the manufacturing chemical C8, otherwise known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid.  The controversial substance has been used in the production of Teflon and other consumer applications at DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia since the 1950s. In 2002, local water consumers in several Ohio communities including Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking and Pomeroy discovered that the substance had made its way into their wells and aquifers. The contamination was also found in public water supplies in Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia. 

Last December, the C8 Science Panel linked C8 to pregnancy-induced hypertension.  In April, the panel linked the manmade substance to kidney and testicular cancer.  In July, the panel linked C8 to thyroid disease and ulcerated colitis. The C8 Science Panel is expected to release their final findings on October 29.

Consequently, a medical panel has been appointed to decide what monitoring or screening might be appropriate for members of the class in light of the findings. In the meantime, class members who suffer from diseases linked to C8 are free to proceed with their own personal injury claims against DuPont. The class action settlement agreement indicates that DuPont may not dispute that C8 can cause the specific diseases which the C8 Science Panel has linked to exposure.

Attorney Kathy Brown, who this week filed three personal injury suits on behalf of area residents, explained that with the class action coming to an end impacted residents are seeking justice for themselves.

"This is entirely different from the earlier class-action lawsuit.  This is so different that these personal injury claims were specifically separated and carved out from the class-action seven years ago," Brown said. "These lawsuits are for people who have one of those reported diseases and are seeking justice. My co-counsel and I are continuing to screen cases and talk to people throughout the area about their injuries and what remedies they may have."

One of those suits was filed for Virginia Morrison on behalf of her husband who died of injuries related to kidney cancer in 2008.

"We lived on DuPont Road for years," Morrison said. "Only this year did we find out that the water we were drinking may have made my husband sick."

The other two lawsuits claim injuries involving thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis.

Brown is working with the law firm of Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris of Birmingham, Alabama.  She has scheduled a series of town hall meetings this month to give residents information about their legal rights.  On October 28, at 1 pm a meeting is scheduled in Point Pleasant, West Virginia at the Lowe Hotel on Main Street. At 4 pm there will be a town hall at the Riverside Golf Club in Pomeroy, Ohio. On October 29, at 2 pm a meeting will be held at the Belpre Volunteer Fire Department on Stone Road.  At 6 pm there will be a final session at the Lubeck Volunteer Fire Department on Harris Highway. 

"Where you now live does not matter if you were exposed to the potentially contaminated water from any of those areas for at least one year prior to December 3, 2004. If you did live there and you have suffered or are suffering from any of the conditions which the Science Panel has linked to C8, you should contact a lawyer to explore your rights," said J.C. Conlin, lead attorney handling the matter on behalf of Cory Watson.

Attorneys representing the class members in the C8 class action lawsuit are not pleased with Brown’s outreach. 

“For what it’s worth, the folks who put out that press release have never previously participated in a single C8 case anywhere,” said class counsel Harry Deitzler. “They are out of town Alabama lawyers fronted by a neophyte Charleston attorney whose only claim to fame is that she is a former TV newscaster.”  

Deitlzer said only three law firms have been designated by the court to represent class members in the C8 class action litigation.  They include:  Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler of Parkersburg and Charleston, Taft, Stettinius & Hollister of Cincinnati, and Winter & Johnson of Charleston.

However, Conlin insists that the class portion of the litigation is at an end. And, while the class action resulted in the C8 Health Study, the C8 Science Panel, water filtration systems, and medical monitoring, it does not cover personal injuries.

“For people who have an injury, the responsibility is on them to seek counsel,” Conlin explained. “They are not limited in who they can see or who can help them.”

PFOA Still Unregulated 11 Years Later

Despite lawsuits and health studies, the controversial manufacturing substance C8 remains unregulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Cincinnati attorney Rob Bilott is urging the agency to take swift action in light of recent findings from the C8 Science Panel.

Eleven years ago, C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, was detected in area water supplies. At that time, Bilott notified the EPA of the presence of the “previously undisclosed threat to human health” – C8 contamination that had been making its way from DuPont Washington Works and into local drinking water for decades.

Since that time, the chemical compound, which is used to make Teflon and thousands of other consumer applications, has been the subject of litigation in four states. A class action lawsuit filed by Bilott on the part of local water consumers developed into a settlement intended to resolve the debate over potential human health outcomes. The case involved the consumers of several public water supplies, including Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia and Belpre, Pomeroy, Tuppers Plains and Little Hocking, Ohio.

As a result of the settlement agreement, nearly 70,000 people were recruited to participate in the C8 Health Project and to have their data analyzed by the C8 Science Panel. Recently, the panel announced some of their conclusions – linking the manmade substance to pregnancy-induced hypertension, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer and kidney cancer – diseases Bilott says have impacted thousands of Mid Ohio Valley residents. The panel’s final results are expected before the end of October.   

Despite the collection of data and the passage of time, the EPA has yet to release any regulations or guidelines for chronic human exposures to C8 in drinking water. In 2009, the agency issued an informal, provisional health advisory for human short-term exposure, but Bilott says the agency has “never issued any regulatory or otherwise enforceable limits on long-term exposure to PFOA in drinking water”.

Bilott says he is concerned because he recently discovered EPA intends to delay actual regulatory activity until 2025 – or 24 years after he first requested action on the part of his Mid Ohio Valley clients.

“On behalf of our individual resident clients who have been and/or continue to be exposed to PFOA in their residential drinking water, we again urge US EPA to take action more quickly to release appropriate limits and guidelines for PFOA in drinking water applicable to long-term, chronic exposures, particularly given the recent data confirming thousands of cases of serious human disease linked to such exposures among impacted residential communities,” Bilott said in an Aug. 20 letter to EPA. “Twenty four years is far too long to ask our clients to wait.”

The EPA has committed to a nationwide monitoring program involving C8 and other substances of concern from 2013 to 2015, but regulatory limits seem little more than a distant possibility.  Through a public information request, Bilott uncovered the agency’s intent to delay the process with data analysis scheduled for 2016 – 2017 and a regulatory determination to be proposed in 2020 – 2023 and finalized 2022 – 2025. The information was part of an email exchange from the office of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to US EPA staff in response to an article by Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette.    

“It seems clear the EPA should be acting expeditiously,” said David Altman, attorney for the Little Hocking Water Association – whose water supplies measured the greatest amount of C8 contamination. In a separate action, the water association has filed a federal suit against DuPont over the corruption of their natural resources - their aquifer and wellfield. That case is ongoing.

Altman said the EPA should regulate C8, but he cautioned “be careful what you wish for” because a hasty decision could be detrimental. He does not want to see a “rush to [arrive at] a number that doesn’t protect people.”

C8 Linked to Thyroid Disease, Ulcerated Colitis

The C8 Science Panel released another set of findings on Monday - this time linking thyroid disease and ulcerated colitis to C8 exposure in Mid Ohio Valley residents.


The controversial substance has been used in the production of Teflon and other consumer applications at DuPont Washington Works since the 1950s. In 2002, local water consumers in several Ohio communities including Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking and Pomeroy discovered that the substance had made its way into their wells and aquifers.




Read the full story here:  http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1237%3Aspecial-report-c8-linked-to-thyroid-disease-ulcerated-colitis&catid=2%3Acommunity-news&Itemid=15

OEPA Acknowledges C8 Filtration Breakthroughs

Despite an earlier denial, Ohio EPA has confirmed that C8 has broken through local filtration systems on at least six occasions.

On June 6, The Anchor reported that C8 was still making its way into some local water supplies even after the installation of filtration systems intended to remove the unregulated manmade substance. C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, became a source of controversy in the Mid Ohio Valley when it was detected in six local water supplies – leading to a class action lawsuit against DuPont and a landmark health study intended to determine whether or not exposure may cause human disease.

In response to the public health concern, DuPont constructed industrial scale filtration systems for the impacted water districts based on carbon filtration – meaning that the efficiency of the filtration is dependent upon timely and fresh change outs of carbon filtration material.

Despite the installation of technology intended to reduce the concentration of C8 in local water supplies to non detectable levels, sampling results obtained from the EPA in May revealed that small but measurable amounts were breaking through some of the filtration systems – an indication that in some locations carbon change outs are not being performed frequently enough to prevent breakthroughs.

Read the full story at The Anchor:
http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1188:special-report-oepa-acknowledges-c8-filtration-breakthroughs&catid=2:community-news&Itemid=15

C8 Detected in Filtered Water

Despite the installation of technology meant to filter C8, very small amounts can still be found dripping from the taps of households served by some Mid Ohio Valley water systems.


Sampling results obtained from the EPA reveal that small but measurable amounts of the controversial manufacturing chemical routinely break through some of the filtration systems. DuPont has provided the means to reduce the concentration of C8 to non detectable levels, but the court mandated process lacks regulatory oversight.


Read the story here:

http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1176:web-extra-c8-detected-in-filtered-water&catid=2:community-news&Itemid=15

EPA Orders Nationwide Monitoring for C8

The US EPA is ordering the monitoring of public water supplies for a new list of chemicals, including C8.

The agency has standards for 91 contaminants in drinking water, and the Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to identify up to 30 additional unregulated contaminants for monitoring every five years. Last week, the EPA released a list of 28 chemicals and two viruses to be monitored by about 6,000 public water systems as part of the unregulated contaminant monitoring program.

“The monitoring that will take place will provide EPA with invaluable information about what municipalities are seeing in their drinking water all across the country,” said EPA acting assistant administrator for Water Nancy Stoner. “The results of this multi-year monitoring effort will help inform EPA’s work to ensure Americans receive safe drinking water.”

The EPA will spend more than $20 million to support the project, which will provide a clearer picture of the frequency and levels at which these contaminants are found in drinking water systems nationwide.  It will also help regulators determine whether additional protections are needed to ensure safe drinking water.

Using methods perfected as recently as 2009, the EPA has called on all public water systems serving more than 10,000 people and 800 smaller systems to monitor for C8 over a 12 month period from January 2013 through December 2015. The reporting threshold for PFOA (also known as perfluorooctanoic acid or C8) is .02 parts per billion – or 20 parts per trillion – far less than levels detected in local water supplies.

The presence of the manufacturing substance in area water supplies lead to a class action lawsuit brought by Mid-Ohio Valley residents against DuPont who used the compound at nearby Washington Works in the production of Teflon since the mid 1950s.

To resolve the suit, the court appointed the C8 Science Panel – a group of three epidemiologists – to determine if it was “more likely than not” that exposure could be linked to disease.  In December, the science panel released their initial set of probable link findings and announced a link between C8 exposure and pregnancy induced hypertension. Last month, the panel linked C8 to kidney and testicular cancer. Their final reports are expected before the end of July. Consequently, a three-member medical panel has been appointed to determine what type of medical monitoring should be made available to the members of the class in response to the epidemiologists’ findings.

In the meantime, a federal lawsuit brought by the Little Hocking Water Association against DuPont over the contamination of their aquifer and wellfield is ongoing. 

C8 Linked to Cancer in MOV Residents

An independent panel of three epidemiologists have concluded that exposure to the manufacturing substance known as C8 or PFOA is linked to two types of cancer in Mid Ohio Valley residents.


The C8 Science Panel released their new findings on Monday morning. It‘s the latest development in the class action lawsuit brought by local residents against DuPont over the presence of the manufacturing chemical PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, in their drinking water. As a result of the findings, a medical panel has been established to determine what type of medical monitoring is appropriate for class members.

What began as the C8 Health Project has become the largest study ever undertaken to determine the link between PFOA exposure and cancer. An analysis of 21 types of cancer yielded two probable link findings.



Read the full story in The Anchor:
http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1096:web-extra-c8-science-panel-links-c8-to-testicular-kidney-cancer&catid=2:community-news&Itemid=15

C8 Science Panel Finds Link to Human Disease

There is a link between C8 exposure and human disease, according to the C8 Science Panel who released their first set of probable link findings this week. The panel determined that there is a link between exposure to PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

This is significant because the development triggers the next phase of settlement in the class action lawsuit brought by Mid Ohio Valley residents against DuPont over the presence of the manmade chemical in several public water supplies. DuPont has used C8 for more than fifty years at Washington Works near Parkersburg, W.Va., in the manufacture of Teflon and many other consumer applications.

The panel’s determination was based on data from the C8 Health Project and four related studies which identified more than 3,000 cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension in exposed populations. Similarly, a link was detected between C8 exposure and preeclampsia.

The panel did not find a probable link between C8 exposure and pregnancy loss, low birth weight, or birth defects.

Dr. David Savitz explained the panel’s findings, calling pregnancy-induced hypertension a “serious complication of pregnancy” and one that is known to increase the risk of preterm birth.

While the condition typically resolves with the birth of the baby, Savitz said women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy are at an increased risk of having it again with subsequent pregnancies. He said pregnancy-induced hypertension is also a “predictor” of problems later in life.

Even so, Savitz said the number one cause of pregnancy-induced hypertension is obesity, which is something that can be more directly addressed by women of childbearing age. He also encouraged expectant mothers to fully participate in prenatal care - and to follow the advice of their doctors.

The term “probable link” is court terminology, not scientific jargon. Specifically, the C8 Science Panel was appointed for the purpose of determining whether, given the available scientific evidence, there is more likely than not a connection between PFOA exposure and human disease in class members.

As a result of the panel’s findings, a medical panel will be established to determine whether medical monitoring is called for under the terms of the settlement. At the conclusion of the suit, if a “probable link” has been found, the settlement agreement provides for $235 million to be paid out by DuPont for medical monitoring.

The C8 Science Panel is expected to release two more sets of findings before concluding their work in July 2012.

DuPont officials say they do not believe that PFOA causes pregnancy-induced hypertension, but they will move forward with their obligations under the settlement agreement.

“DuPont has committed to no longer make, buy or use PFOA by 2015, or sooner if possible,” company officials said in a statement. “We have made significant progress toward this commitment, including commercializing next-generation offerings that are made without using PFOA, and that cannot break down to PFOA in the environment.”

The company has requested a permit change in order to replace the controversial manufacturing substance. Documents obtained from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection indicate the new substance intended for use in fluoropolymer production is called by the trade name C3. In the permit application, DuPont calls the new technology a “sustainable solution that includes a new processing aid with a favorable toxicological profile and rapid bioelimination”.

Little else is known about the substance. DuPont’s permit, if it is successful, would allow C3 to be discharged into the Ohio River. WVDEP is accepting public comments on the matter until December 26.

Researchers Collaborate on C8 Findings

Conclusions about data gathered in the C8 Health Project are coming from two primary sources but the relationship between the C8 Science Panel and West Virginia University researchers is described as being more collaborative than competitive in nature.

In recent weeks, media attention has been drawn to study reports on C8 exposure released by two groups of researchers who are working from the same body of data. Dr. Kyle Steenland, one of three members of the C8 Science Panel, says both parties have access to the same database from the C8 Health Project collected in 2005 and 2006. In order to cover a lot of territory and not duplicate each other’s work, the two groups of researchers have made some agreements to work together.

Read the full story at: http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=729:researchers-collaborate-on-c8-findings&catid=1:localpolitical&Itemid=15

WVU Researchers: C8 Linked to Osteoarthritis

In addition to the release of new information from the C8 Science Panel, researchers at West Virginia University have drawn some of their own conclusions about exposure based on data from the C8 Health Project.

Researchers looked at the incidence of osteoarthritis reported by more adult participants of the health project. Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint disease, characterized by pain and stiffness that worsen with physical activity.

Read the full story at: http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=708:wvu-researchers-c8-linked-to-osteoarthritis&catid=1:localpolitical&Itemid=15

Panel: C8 Exposure Linked to Liver Function, Preeclampsia

New findings on C8 exposure have been released as a court appointed Science Panel works toward completion of their investigation into the chemical’s potential for human health effects. The results provide answers to some looming questions about the manufacturing substance known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, which has been used at DuPont Washington Works to produce Teflon since the 1950s.

Read the full story at: http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=709:panel-c8-exposure-linked-to-liver-function-preeclampsia&catid=1:localpolitical&Itemid=15

"Why not sooner?" asks Judge Beane

A Wood County judge expressed frustration with the C8 Science Panel in a status hearing on Wednesday over the time it is taking for the experts to reach a conclusion in the landmark study of the industrial chemical’s impact on the health of local people.
The science panel is charged with deciding whether or not C8 can be linked to human disease. Their decision will determine the outcome of the class action lawsuit against DuPont over the manmade substance, which is used in the manufacture of Teflon and thousands of other consumer products. After more than fifty years of use at DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, W.Va., C8 or PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) was detected in several area water systems – public and private.

Under the terms of the settlement, if C8 is found to be linked to human disease, DuPont will fund a $235 million medical monitoring program for class members.

The settlement agreement was reached in 2004. The following year, the C8 Health Project got underway and by the end of July 2006 the massive project coordinated by Brookmar, Inc. engaged the population and collected nearly 70,000 medical histories and blood samples for the study. The data was turned over to the C8 Science Panel in April 2008. Since that time, the panel of three epidemiologists have been conducting additional sampling, performing follow-up testing, and verifying medical histories to build the body of evidence to reach a “more likely than not” conclusion about the link between C8 and human disease. A final answer is expected next year.

Read the full story:


http://theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=581:web-extra-judge-questions-timeline-for-c8-results&catid=1:localpolitical&Itemid=2

Recent Sampling Reveals PFOA All Along the Ohio River

A study of 22 locations on the Ohio River revealed the DuPont chemical C8 was present in every sample collected along the 981-mile stretch from Pennsylvania to Kentucky.

C8 or PFOA, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid, was found in measurable levels ranging from 35.2 to 2.04 parts per trillion. No sampling was performed near DuPont Washington Works where the chemical has been used for more than 50 years in the manufacture of Teflon.

The highest concentration of the manmade chemical was found in the river near Ravenswood, West Virginia where sampling detected levels of 35.2 parts per trillion. A level of 31.2 parts per trillion was identified near Paducah, Kentucky and a concentration of 19.1 parts per trillion was found near Huntington, West Virginia.

The study was performed by ORSANCO (Ohio River Sanitation Commission) in collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency in September 2009 to detect a total of 158 compounds considered contaminants of emerging concern, including 118 pharmaceutical and personal care products, 27 hormones and sterols, and 13 perfluorinated compounds.

“The study was designed to generate data as preliminary survey by the Commission and results would be used to guide future actions,” according to the report released in May. “It has been shown that wastewater treatment plants are not currently designed to remove these chemicals to the very low levels, nor are they required by regulatory agencies to do so.”

The provisional health advisory established by the US EPA for PFOA in drinking water is 400 parts per trillion. Though the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has set a more prohibitive drinking water guidance value of 40 parts per trillion.

“There are no state or national water quality standards established for the compounds targeted in this study in U.S. surface waters,” according to ORSANCO.

The locations were targeted for sampling based on their proximity to major urban areas, effluent influence, or because they fell within areas of the river that had relatively few local upstream potential sources.

Marietta is located at Ohio River mile 172. Nearest sampling was performed at Ohio River mile 91.3 and Ohio River mile 220.3 (Ravenswood).

PFOA has been targeted by US EPA for elimination from industrial emissions by 2015 because of its classification as a likely human carcinogen.



PFOA by PPT / Location / Ohio River Mile


35.2 / Ravenswood, WV / 220.3

31.2 / Paducah, KY / 935.9

23.9 / Paducah, KY / 934.4

19.1 / Huntington, WV / 306.8

18.2 / Evansville, IN / 791.8

14.4 / Cincinnati, OH / 478

14.3 / Mill Creek Tributary

14.1 / Manchester, OH / 394.9

13.1 / Cincinnati, OH / 462.9

11.5 / Evansville, IN / 791.5

9.44 /    / 612.2

9.21 / Louisville, KY / 600.5

8.93 / Concord, KY / 889.1

6.22 / Scioto Tributary

5.39 /    / 91.3

3.87 / Monongahela Tributary

3.43 / Wabash Tributary

3.41 /    / 3.1

3.01 /    / 86.7

2.5 /    / 9.7

2.04 / Allegheny Tributary

1.48 / Kanawha Tributary

Cincinnati Water Works Comes Clean

Nearly two weeks after publicly denying the possibility that C8 could be getting into the drinking water of Cincinnati consumers, officials with Greater Cincinnati Water Works admit that they have observed trace amounts in their post-filtration sampling.

Cincinnati Water Works has been testing water in the Ohio River and their system since 2005. The latest set of sampling results, taken on April 7, 2009, indicate C8 in the Ohio River measured at a concentration of 11 parts per trillion. At the same time, post-filtration water tested at 10 parts per trillion - a marked increase from prior testing which indicated that C8 concentrations were below the limit of detection.

The following statement was provided by Jeff Swertfeger, GCWW Assistant Manager of Water Quality and Treatment Division, on April 1:

"Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) is proud of our state-of-the art water treatment that provides high quality drinking water to our customers. Since 1992, Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment has given us an edge when it comes to treating source water from the Ohio River. The USEPA considers GAC the best treatment technology to remove many contaminants found in the river, including C-8 (PFOA).

GCWW is one of several water utilities in the Greater Cincinnati region that uses the Ohio River as a source. GCWW has been proactive in monitoring for PFOA in the river. Since 2005 the PFOA values in the Ohio River at our location have declined from 100 parts per trillion (ppt) to 11 ppt (detection limit – 10 ppt). The USEPA has set the health advisory for this contaminant at 400 ppt. in drinking water.

We also test the water as it goes through the treatment process. All sample concentrations in the water that had passed through GAC entering into our final treatment processes have been below detection except for one value in 2009. This concentration was at the detection limit of 10 ppt. Our water quality experts believe this is an anomaly since the detection and the river water detection were both at the level of detection of this compound which could yield unreliable results.

Because of the testing that we have do and the lack of detections, we feel very confident that our operational strategy is successful in removing PFOA in our water.

GCWW has always met or exceeded all of the state and federal health standards for drinking water. We will continue to perform an average of 600 tests per day throughout the system to ensure safe drinking water for all of our customers."

C8 in the Ohio River at Cincinnati

In response to elevated levels of C8 detected in the Ohio River at Cincinnati, the US EPA is asking DuPont to perform additional testing to determine more about how the manmade substance travels.

The EPA is trying to learn how DuPont’s C8, also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid, has made it so far away from Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia. The chemical has been used there for more than fifty years to make Teflon and other stain-resistant, nonstick surfaces and applications – hundreds of applications used in thousands of consumer products.

Cincinnati Water Works has been tracking C8 in the river since 2005 when they detected levels of 100 parts per trillion – a number that exceeds the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection health-based action level of 40 parts per trillion.

“Sampling in 2005 was triggered by a few issues including the general awareness of C8 compounds such as PFOA to potentially be in the water and the knowledge of DuPont and the situation in southeast Ohio,” said Jeff Swertfeger, Assistant Superintendent of the Water Quality and Treatment Division of Greater Cincinnati Water Works.

According to a March 3 letter from Jim Willis, director of EPA’s Chemical Control Division to DuPont, “the Ohio River is a major drinking water source downstream from the site.”

EPA is pushing DuPont to perform testing that will help them understand the pathway of exposure.

“Greater than 2 million people use the Ohio River as a source of drinking water downstream from the site, and potential exposure to PFOA associated with the site is not known,” Willis said.

Data provided by Cincinnati Water Works indicates that annual sampling has taken place demonstrating a gradual decline of C8 in the water over the past four years. In 2006, levels of 21 parts per trillion were detected in the river. By April 2009 that number had decreased to 11 parts per trillion.

Swertfeger says Cincinnati Water Works did not perform any testing on their finished water.

DuPont officials have yet to respond to the findings.

C8 is bio-accumulative, meaning that it collects in the human body, so even small amounts contribute to elevated exposure. While PFOA has been proven to negatively impact the health of animals, scientists from all over the world are working to determine whether or not C8 can be linked to human disease. US EPA has classified the substance as a “likely carcinogen”.

LHWA Files Suit Against DuPont in Federal Court

The Little Hocking Water Association has filed a lawsuit against DuPont in U.S. district court over the contamination of the local wellfield and water supplies with the manufacturing substance known as C8.



PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid was detected in the water supply in 2002 after decades of its use in manufacturing processes by neighboring DuPont Washington Works. The suit filed last Monday says the company had knowledge of the contamination and its potential for harm to human health for many years before revealing its findings to the public.



The Little Hocking Water Association was not a party to the class action suit and subsequent settlement filed against DuPont over the contamination of six local water districts. Now the association is asking for a jury trial to determine damages. The rural water provider is also asking for an unadulterated source of water for its customers since its 45 acre wellfield and the aquifer beneath it has been contaminated.


The water association is suing the corporation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.