Panel: High death rates tied to heavy C8 exposure

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Three new progress reports from scientists studying the possible health effects of a chemical used at a DuPont plant near Parkersburg show mixed results.

The C8 Science Panel submitted updates to a Wood County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday as it continues investigating whether there is a "probable link" between health problems and perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA or C8.

Its ongoing research is part of a class-action settlement over releases from the Washington Works plant.

The panel found that former plant workers who were heavily exposed to C8 had higher death rates from kidney cancer, other kidney diseases and mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. But overall, the death rate among workers was 30 percent lower than the U.S. population.

A separate study of liver function shows that one of three enzyme markers was elevated, indicating possible damage. But the panel cautioned against linking that to C8 exposure.

Its third report found a "small but clearly present" association between C8 and preeclampsia, a condition that can endanger the health of pregnant women and their fetuses by triggering high blood pressure, seizure, stroke and organ failure.

But the panel said it didn't find a link between C8 and miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term birth, low birth weight or birth defects. It plans to gather more data on pre-term birth and birth weight as it continues work.

In a statement to the Charleston Gazette, DuPont spokeswoman Janet Smith said additional work must be completed before any conclusions can be drawn about a link between C8 and health issues.

The panel is expected to issue more comprehensive findings by July 2012.

Residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley sued DuPont over claims that C8 contaminated water supplies in Ohio and West Virginia. The panel was named in 2005 as part of the settlement, though DuPont contends the chemical is not harmful to human health.

If the scientists ultimately conclude there is a "probable link" between C8 and health problems, DuPont could be forced to spend as much as $235 million on medical monitoring programs.

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Online:

C8 Science Panel: http://www.c8sciencepanel.org/index.html

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Information from: The Charleston Gazette, http://www.wvgazette.com