No organ-damage evidence found in residents who drank contaminated water
Columbus Dispatch, Spencer Hunt
Published August 15, 2005
VINCENT, Ohio -- A health study of Ohioans who drink water contaminated with a chemical DuPont uses to make Teflon found no evidence that it damaged their livers, kidneys or thyroid glands.
That does not mean perfluorooctanoic acid, or C8, is harmless, said Dr. Edward Emmett, the University of Pennsylvania study's lead researcher. Emmett said his findings do not make any conclusions about whether C8 causes cancer in people.
"I think we can say we haven't seen any harm, but I don't think we can say it's safe," Emmett told about 200 southeast Ohio residents who gathered in a stifling high-school auditorium to hear him speak last evening.
The size of the crowd reflected the concerns of many Ohio and West Virginia residents who live near DuPont's Washington Works plant, in western West Virginia along the Ohio River. DuPont has used C8 there for decades to make Teflon and non-stick, water- and stain-resistant coatings for pots and pans, carpets and clothing.
In response, DuPont announced yesterday it will supply bottled water to residents living in the area Emmett studied. Company officials said they will pay for bottled water until a set of filters are installed at the Little Hocking Water Association.
"We believe the right answer is to put in a filtration system," said Bill Hopkins, the Washington Works plant manager. "If providing bottled water moves that process along, then it's the right decision for us."
The study, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania with the help of a federal grant, covered 326 Ohioans who live in Vincent, Belpre, Cutler and Little Hocking, all located across the Ohio River from the DuPont plant.
Last month, Emmett said he'd found C8 in residents' blood at levels up to 80 times higher than the average 5-parts-per-billion detected in the general population.
Emmett refused at that time to discuss any health effects he'd uncovered, saying he would first share them with the people who took part in the study.
That created an interesting scene in the Warren High School auditorium, where DuPont, state and federal officials were taking notes on Emmett's findings along with residents and environmental advocates.
Although C8 has been linked to cancer and liver damage in lab rats, its effects on humans still are unknown. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency panel of scientists has termed C8 a "likely" cancer risk for people.
In September, DuPont agreed to pay up to $343 million to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of thousands of Ohioans and West Virginians living near the DuPont plant. As much as $70 million will be spent on a health study that's aimed at collecting blood samples and medical histories from up to 60,000 people who drank C8 contaminated water.
The University of Pennsylvania study was the first government-funded effort to look for health problems in people outside the plant. A January DuPont study of 1,025 Washington Works plant employees found workers with high levels of C8 had high cholesterol, but no link to major health problems.
Emmett said he could find no connection between high levels of C8 and damage to human livers, kidneys or thyroid glands.
Hopkins said he was happy that Emmett found similar results to DuPont's. "We see no evidence of any health effects," Hopkins said.
Emmett, citing the still unanswered questions about cancer, urged residents to drink bottled water until filtering systems are installed.
Some in the audience said they would do just that.
Caroline and Reuben Richards said they've been using bottled water for drinking and cooking for almost three years. While both were glad to hear Emmett found no bad health effects, they said the cancer question will keep them from drinking from the tap.
"I don't feel safe enough," Reuben Richards said.
