News Coverage
Report cites potential danger of C8
Published March 29, 2003
Ninety percent of Americans have the chemical known as C8 in their bloodstream for reasons neither science or industry can explain.
Further, the manufacturing chemical, which is used at DuPont's Washington Works plant, may lead to reproductive or developmental problems, or even cancer at certain exposure levels.
The new information is contained in the draft of a preliminary risk assessment of the toxicity of C8 performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental research group that received a leaked copy of the report before its official release, which is anticipated next week.
C8, which has a chemical name of perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA, has been used by DuPont's Washington, W.Va., Works plant across the Ohio River from western Washington County for more than 50 years.
It is the subject of a lawsuit filed by customers of the Lubeck, W.Va., Public Service District in Wood County that charges their drinking water has been contaminated by the chemical.
The chemical also has been found in water samples taken by the Little Hocking Water Association.
The new information leaves Mid-Ohio Valley water providers and consumers caught in the middle of the debate about potential health hazards of the chemical.
"We definitely don't have all the answers," said Bob Griffin, general manager of the Little Hocking Water Association. "We don't know how the margin of exposure relates to the water. We're not sure what it means to us. But, we are going to follow this and look after the best interests of our customers."
More specific details about the EPA findings will become available with the release of the report, but that will not resolve the debate over the chemical's potential dangers, which are disputed by DuPont officials.
Plant spokesman, George Ainsley, said DuPont stands behind its claims that "it has been used for more than 50 years with no known adverse effects to human health or the environment."
In a press conference March 18, DuPont officials said they were confident their conclusions were based on extensive scientific data and that they would never knowingly put people in harm's way.
But, the Environmental Working Group believes the health risks from exposure to the chemical can be proven.
"We are just excited that the EPA is taking a pro-active approach to what we feel is a dangerous contaminant," said Lauren Sucher, communications director for the Environmental Working Group. "We view the draft risk assessment as a bit conservative, and we hope that the EPA will complete the final draft along these same lines."
The March 17 EPA document is labeled "Internal deliberate draft, do not cite or quote," but a science analysis performed by the Environmental Working Group summarized the report's conclusions by saying the blood of the U.S. population is contaminated at levels that could cause harm.
The document says that children already have blood levels of the chemical at above levels that cause serious toxicity in laboratory studies. It also says that the chemical is present in 90 percent of the people in the United States, and in some cases, the level of exposure is as high for members of the general public as it is as for people who work in factories.
According to the group, DuPont and other manufacturers do not know the primary sources of these exposures, or why some exposures in the general population are so high.
The Environmental Working Group reports the EPA conclusion, "It is not known what the environmental concentrations of PFOA are or the pathways of human exposure to the general population."
The group also claims there is evidence of birth defects from exposed workers, as well as confirmation that C8 might lead to developmental and reproductive problems. The group says that broader research needs to be done to determine the risk of cancer from exposure to the chemical.
C8 is a chemical cousin to the Scotchguard compound the EPA forced off the market three years ago. 3M, the company that manufactures the chemical for use by industrial plants such as DuPont, has restricted their production of C8 to one Fayetteville, N.C. plant.
The Environmental Working Group said chemicals such as C8 are persistent in the environment, raising the specter of indefinite, global contamination and damage to wildlife and people. Not only do manufacturers such as DuPont use it, but it can be found in scores of consumer products like clothes, stain repellents, food packaging, and cosmetics.
More information about the specific findings of the report will be available when it is finalized and released, possibly next week.