An initial batch of raw data released Friday by C8 Health Project administrators reveals some new information about the well being of the 70,000 participants.

For reasons not yet explained by science or project analysts, “of adult participants, almost half had total cholesterol above desired levels.” That was the case for both men and women.

High blood cholesterol increases the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. West Virginia ranks second in the nation for incidences of high cholesterol, which health statistics indicate impacts 38.1 percent of the state’s population. Ohio ranks 18th in the U.S. with 33.9 percent of Buckeyes having high cholesterol.

Youngsters who participated in the C8 Health Project exhibited elevated cholesterol levels, too. “Of participants 2-19 years of age, more than one-third had total cholesterol levels above the acceptable range. Total cholesterol was higher in girls compared to boys.”

Some worker studies have suggested a link between highly exposed worker populations and an increase in cholesterol. So far, the C8 levels of the health project participants have not been released, which means it’s not yet possible to draw correlations between exposures and any type of potential impacts.

Another portion of data revealed Friday shows a disproportionately high concentration of kids with learning problems. 9.1 percent of girls aged 11 to 20 and 7.3 percent of young women aged 21 to 30 report having learning disabilities. For girls under the age of 10, just 5.5 percent reported having learning disabilities.

17.7 percent of boys aged 11 to 20 and 12.8 percent of young men aged 21 to 30 report having learning disabilities. For boys under the age of ten, 9 percent reported having learning disabilities.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the national rate of learning disabilities is 4.8 percent. West Virginia has one of the highest rates at 13.5 percent. The prevalence of learning disabilities in Ohio is 5 percent.