DuPont Worker Mortality Study on C8

DuPont released a mortality study this week designed to determine whether C8 exposure could be tied to risks for workers.

The study looked at 6,000 Washington Works employees and their mortality rates and causes and compared them with the same data for the population of West Virginia, the population of the United States, and an 8-state regional DuPont employee population.

Results indicated an elevation in mortality risk for kidney cancer and heart disease in Washington Works employees, which the industry report calls “statistically nonsignificant”. It also found a “statistically significant increase for diabetes”.

The report concludes by saying the relatively small numbers for many cause-specific outcomes may not be adequate to thoroughly examine death rates.

The mortality study is one part of a body of evidence to be considered by the C8 Science Panel in making their determination about the whether C8 can be linked to human disease.

(Send me an email if you'd like a copy of the study as I don't currently have the ability to PDF it here.)