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