Concluding Report by C8 Science Panel Released

High cholesterol in residents of the mid-Ohio Valley and a chemical used by a DuPont plant in West Virginia may be linked, says a new report.

Insurance Journal  reports that’s the finding from the final report issued by the C8 Science Panel, which analyzed data collected from over 70,000 Ohio Valley residents. The three-member science panel was created in 2005 during the settlement of a chemical exposure lawsuit claiming the water supplies were contaminated with C8 in Ohio and West Virginia.

C8, also known as ammonium perfluorooctanoate, is used to make non-stick materials such as those found in cookware and outdoor clothing.

However, the panel found no probable link between C8 exposure and high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and liver disease. The link between C8 and 19 other kinds of cancer has also been eliminated by the researchers, according to the Insurance Journal.

DuPont uses C8 at its Washington Works plant in West Virginia, but DuPont plans to stop making C8 by 2015.

Earlier, the panel had found links between the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid and several health issues such as thyroid disease, kidney cancers, pregnancy-induced hypertension, testicular cancer, and ulcerative colitis.

DuPont said that it will initiate funding for medical monitoring of residents as well as make sure that all the chemical is removed from the local water system, reports the Insurance Journal.

 If you or a loved one has experienced a personal injury, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation and to find out if a chemical exposure lawyer may be able to help you.

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