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?

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.”

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 Medical Panel Appointed

DuPont and attorneys for local residents who settled a class action lawsuit against DuPont in 2005 over releases of C8 or PFOA from DuPont’s Washington Works plant announced today that they have jointly selected a three member panel of independent, well-qualified and respected medical doctors – the “C8 Medical Panel” – to determine the nature and extent of whatever medical monitoring may be appropriate under the terms of the settlement.

Read the full story in The Anchor: 
http://www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1094:web-extra-c8-medical-panel-selected&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.

"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

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.

ATSDR: Don't Use Local Water to Mix Baby Formula

(Here's the full version of the story from the Marietta Register:)

DuPont will pay a $1.6 million civil administrative penalty over environmental violations, including the spilling of hundreds of pounds of C8 into the Ohio River, according to an agreement with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

While the company has been vigorously reducing emissions of the controversial manufacturing substance, DuPont Washington Works experienced discharges from 2004 to 2008 that caused C8 (also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid) to be spilled directly into the river. The company has entered into an agreement with US Environmental Protection Agency over the voluntary phase out of PFOA in consumer products and industrial emissions by 2015. DuPont has made significant strides in controlling releases of C8 from the plant with the installation of specially designed scrubbers, which are credited with reducing air emissions 99 percent since 2002. The company says water emissions have also been decreased by 97 percent. And, for those public water systems with the highest levels of exposure, DuPont has constructed carbon filtration systems to reduce C8 in drinking water.

So, local consumers may be surprised to learn the details behind the WVDEP consent order, which reveals that as recently as January 27, 2008 the company spilled 178 pounds of C8 into the river.

On May 16, 2006, about 66.7 pounds of C8 was leaked into the river along with 2,487 pounds of FEP or fluorinated ethylene propylene, a liquid derivative of Teflon used in applications for flexible products like tubing, plastic sheeting, and o-rings.

On August 2, 2005, an employee error in the Teflon PFA area resulted in a discharge of between 100 to 200 pounds of PFA fluff into the river. PFA is afluoropolymer resin.

On April 7, 2004, DuPont reported a spill of an unspecified amount of Teflon into the Ohio River.

But, PFOA wasn’t the only potentially hazardous substance released in violation of DuPont’s operating permits. Of the other six spills cited in the administrative order, two involved releases of toluene, one involved aluminum stearate, one involved Amberlite resin, another involved the leaking of 4,700 gallons of methanol, and the largest on January 9, 2008, spilled “several thousand pounds” of sodium sulfite, sodium iodide, and sodium chloride into the Ohio River.

WVDEP found that the local plant violated the Water Pollution Control Act and the Solid Waste Management Act. The infractions cited in the administrative consent order involve incidents at DuPont Washington Works and two closed landfills from 2004 to July 2008.

DuPont is required to immediately report any spills to the agency by means of a designated spill hotline, but in at least one case the WVDEP order claims the company failed to do so. In other instances, WVDEP says spills were reported, but still resulted in violations because the company is prohibited from releasing “unpermitted pollutants” into state waters. C8 is classified as such because it remains an unregulated chemical while the EPA continues its risk assessment. Of the $1.6 million fine, DuPont will spend $500,000 on supplemental environmental projects to be completed over the next three years to benefit the community. The rest will go to the state’s Water Quality Management Fund.

DuPont officials say they welcome the opportunity to use a portion of the penalty to fund projects for the community.

“DuPont takes this matter very seriously and has been fully cooperative with the agency throughout this process,” company officials said in a statement. “We are committed to continuously improving our environmental performance. During the past five years, we have conducted numerous evaluations, assessments, studies and have made substantial investments in performance and facility improvement projects aimed at environmental compliance and optimizing our operations.”

The information about the recent C8 spills comes on the heels of advice from the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, which indicated that vulnerable populations should take all reasonable precautions to reduce C8 exposure. In the strongest statement yet on the topic, the ATSDR recommendsthat parents and caregivers who live in the Parkersburg area use only premixed baby formula so as not to mix powdered formula with PFOA contaminated water.

Eric Bumgardner of the Parkersburg Utility Board explained that the city is not obligated to sample its water for C8, but quantifiable levels have been detected in three of the city’s wells so voluntary sampling is performed periodically.

“We have no requirement to sample,” Bumgardner said. “We don’t have a specific schedule.”

Bumgardner said the city tests the water once or twice a year. The last sampling of Parkersburg’s wells took place on December 29, 2008. Finished water was not sampled at that time, but the well with the highest concentration contained levels of 0.073 parts per billion.

In the final days of the Bush administration, the EPA established its first provisional health advisory for C8 at 0.4 parts per billion and in March it was formally adopted. But, the Environmental Working Group, a Washington DC-based science and advocacy coalition, says the EPA’s new action level for drinking water, which is based on short-term consumption, still leaves thousands of area residents chronically exposed to an unacceptable risk of toxic hazards.

A University of Pennsylvania study performed by Dr. Edward Emmett indicates that people who were drinking local water contaminated with C8 had an average of 106 times as much C8 in their blood as was present in the water they were consuming.

So far, New Jersey is the state with the most restrictive rules for C8 in drinking water with a health-based guidance level of 0.04 parts per billion based on a lifetime or 70 years of exposure.

C8 is already present at low levels in the blood of nearly everyone in the U.S. The manmade substance has been shown to cause a number of health issues, including cancer, developmental and reproductive problems in laboratory animals. Scientists all over the world are exploring its potential impacts on human health.

DuPont claims, “Evidence from 50 years of experience and extensive scientific studies supports the conclusion that PFOA does not cause adverse human health effects.”

DuPont Spilled C8 into the Ohio River as Recently as 2008

C8 was discharged directly into the Ohio River as recently as January 2008.

This shocking fact was made clear by the details of an administrative consent order signed by DuPont and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in March over a number of environmental violations.

DuPont officials have agreed to pay $1.6 million in fines to satisfy the state’s claim against the company.

The details of ten spills, which took place from 2004 to 2008, reveals that the largest reported spill sent nearly 2,500 pounds of FEP, a liquid derivative of Teflon, into the Ohio River. That particular spill also sent about 67 pounds of C8 directly into the Ohio River in May 2006.

As recently as January of 2008, DuPont reported a release of 175 pounds of C8 into the Ohio River.

Other reported spills involved a number of substances, including sodium chloride, methanol, Amberlite resin, toluene, and aluminum stearate.

ATSDR: Don't let your babies drink the water . . .

New advice from the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry indicates that parents who live near Parkersburg, West Virginia should purchase pre-mixed baby formula instead of mixing powdered formula with water contaminated with C8.

While research is ongoing to determine whether human health is negatively impacted by exposure to the manufacturing substance, the agency cited developmental effects as “the most sensitive adverse response to PFOA exposure”.

Based on their concerns, the agency advises local people to reduce exposure for vulnerable populations (pregnant women, women of childbearing age, children and seniors) as much as possible. It also states that it is prudent public health practice for caregivers in the area to reduce infant exposure by using only premixed baby formula.

The directive was issued to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on February 10. Two ATSDR officials were charged with the responsibility of assisting the West Virginia Department of Public Health in communicating the message to area residents and helping them understand the recommendations.

Considering that the directive was not made public by either of the agencies involved, it is not clear exactly how they intended to communicate the recommendations to impacted residents.

WVDEP Fines DuPont for Discharging "Unpermitted Pollutants"

DuPont is facing a fine in excess of $1.6 million for environmental violations and exceedance of state permits at the Washington Works wastewater treatment facility and two closed landfills in Wood County.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection found that the local plant violated the Water Pollution Control Act and the Solid Waste Management Act. An administrative consent order signed this week is intended to settle violations that were observed by the state agency from 2004 to 2008.

The funds will go to the state’s Water Quality Management Fund.

DuPont is required to immediately report any spills to the agency by means of a designated spill hotline, but in May 2006 the company failed to do so after discharging 2,487 pounds of Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene liquid. FEP is a Teflon application manufactured with the controversial chemical known as C8 or PFOA.*

In other instances, DEP says spills were reported, but resulted in violations because the company is prohibited from releasing unpermitted pollutants into state waters. Storm water and landfill violations were also cited in the consent order.

*According to DuPont's own internal correspondence. FEP is used in Teflon applications for flexible products like tubing, plastic sheeting, and o-rings.

EPA Limits C8 in MOV Drinking Water

The EPA is tightening the restriction on C8 in drinking water.

The federal agency issued a consent order today lowering the action level for the manufacturing chemical in public water supplies to 0.4 parts per billion. That’s down from the 0.5 parts per billion prescribed by the agency in 2006. The consent order was prompted by a recent provisional health advisory for C8 - the first of its kind from the EPA.

The new action level is intended to reduce levels of PFOA exposure for people who live in the Mid Ohio Valley near DuPont Washington Works while the EPA completes research and a risk assessment on the chemical's impact on public health.

The new order means that DuPont will have to perform additional testing of surrounding areas to insure that public and private water systems do not contain C8 levels exceeding 0.4 parts per billion.

Brownrigg Documentary

There's quite a bit of C8 news to catch up on, but in the meantime here's a link to a preview of a documentary by WOUB's Kirsten Brownrigg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2jzNK0NDm8

EPA Issues Provisional Health Advisory on PFOA/PFOS in Drinking Water

The feds have issued a health advisory for C8 in drinking water.

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a provisional health advisory of 0.4 parts per billion for C8, slightly stricter than the temporary benchmark of 0.5 parts per billion which had been established for drinking water in the Mid Ohio Valley.

Though epidemiological studies are inconclusive as to health effects for humans, the agency formula takes into account the uncertainty over the safety of the manufacturing chemical for humans.

The health advisory issued this week includes the substances PFOA and PFOS, which are both known for their durability and water and grease resistant properties. The provisional health advisory for PFOS, also familiar as the Scotchgard chemical, was set at 0.2 parts per billion.

Feds Expected to Issue C8 Health Advisory

The Mid Ohio Valley controversy over C8 all began with the wasting of an entire herd of cattle on the Tennant farm near Parkersburg. This week the feds are expected to issue a health warning about drinking water with C8 in it, and it's all because of potentially contaminated beef that made its way into the food supply.

The Charleston Gazette broke the story yesterday.

A draft advisory recommends reducing consumption of water that contains more than 0.4 parts per billion of C8. That's more stringent than the 0.5 parts per billion benchmark currently on the books for areas around DuPont Washington Works where contamination was found in several public water systems.

Interestingly, President Barack Obama has named Lisa Jackson to head the Environmental Protection Agency under his administration. Jackson is currently with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the agency which imposes the strictest rule for C8 contamination - still ten times harsher than the amount cited by the latest draft advisory from the EPA.

The EPA and Food and Drug Administration have recently become concerned over beef that entered the food supply, which may have been contaminated as the cattle were grazing on land in Alabama where industrial sludge had been disposed of. If the beef is found to be contaminated, it would be the first time perfluorochemicals could be traced from sludge to commercially produced food.

It is worth noting that the EPA's draft advisory does not mention food contamination - just drinking water.