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For Immediate Release October 29, 2012
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

Science Panel Completes Studies; Finds Probable Link Between C8, High Cholesterol

The C8 Science Panel has concluded its work in determining whether there is a probable link between exposure to C8 (PFOA) and a range of human diseases. These final reports were filed with the Wood County Court Monday, October 29, and all three panelists were scheduled to be present in person at a press conference in Parkersburg, WV, the same day. However, travel disruptions related to Hurricane Sandy forced them to cancel travel plans and join the press conference remotely via Skype and phone conferencing.

In this final round of results, the Science Panel found no Probable Link between C8 and Parkinson's disease, non-malignant liver disease, non-malignant kidney disease, osteoarthritis, coronary artery disease, or high blood pressure. The Science Panel did find a Probable Link between exposure to C8 and medically-diagnosed high cholesterol.

In February 2005, a West Virginia Circuit Court approved a class action settlement in a lawsuit about releases of a chemical known as C8, or PFOA, from DuPont's Washington Works located in Wood County West Virginia. One major piece of the settlement was the creation of the C8 Science Panel consisting of three independent epidemiologists to determine whether there is a probable link between C8 exposure and human disease.

The Panel is composed of three epidemiologists with a long history of studying the relation between environmental exposures and disease. The three panelists are Dr. Kyle Steenland of Emory University in Georgia, Dr. David Savitz of Brown University in Rhode Island, and Dr. Tony Fletcher of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London. The Panel has been working since 2006 on its own studies of exposed persons in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Most of its work has taken place since 2008 when it received the final version of a list of participants in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. In the Project, the level of C8 In the blood was measured and a medical history collected. About 2/3 of the participants in the C8 Health Project agreed to participate in C8 Science Panel studies. A list of the Science Panel studies, and findings to date, can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

For Immediate Release July 30, 2012
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Announces Probable Links between C8 and Ulcerative Colitis, Thyroid Disease

The C8 Science Panel met with press today to announce the latest results in their Probable Link findings related to C8 and human health. They first announced that their studies found a Probable Link between C8 and ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a relatively rare disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. It causes chronic pain and discomfort, and generally cannot be cured. Ulcerative colitis is similar to, but not the same as, Crohn’s disease, another disease of the digestive tract. The evidence for the Panel with regard to ulcerative colitis comes from the study the Panel carried out of 32,000 Mid-Ohio Valley residents and DuPont employees who were interviewed regarding their medical history. Medical records were obtained to validate self-reported diagnoses. There were about 160 validated cases of ulcerative colitis considered by the Science Panel. Among these cases, there was a strong pattern of more disease occurring among those with higher PFOA exposure.

The Panel also found a Probable Link between C8 and thyroid disease. Thyroid disease is a common condition related to an imbalance in thyroid hormones. It can usually be well-controlled by treatment with thyroid hormones. There were over 2000 validated cases of thyroid disease in the Science Panel study of Mid-Ohio Valley residents. The Panel also analyzed data on thyroid hormones among Mid-Ohio Valley residents and considered other reports in the scientific literature. While the evidence on thyroid disease was mixed, the Panel concluded overall it was more probable than not that C8 was linked to thyroid disease.

The Panel reported on a number of other diseases and concluded that there was no Probable Link between C8 and the following diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, childhood and adult infections such as influenza, neurodevelopmental disorders in children, stroke, and five other autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis). They will return in October of this year to deliver final Probable Link reports.

In February 2005, a West Virginia Circuit Court approved a class action settlement in a lawsuit about releases of a chemical known as C8, or PFOA, from DuPont’s Washington Works located in Wood County West Virginia. One major piece of the settlement was the creation of the C8 Science Panel consisting of three independent epidemiologists to determine whether there is a Probable Link between C8 exposure and human disease.

The Panel is composed of three epidemiologists with a long history of studying the relation between environmental exposures and disease. The three panelists are Dr. Kyle Steenland of Emory University in Georgia, Dr. David Savitz of Brown University in Rhode Island, and Dr. Tony Fletcher of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London. The Panel has been working since 2006 on its own studies of exposed persons in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Most of its work has taken place since 2008 when it received the final version of a list of participants in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. In the Project, the level of C8 in the blood was measured and a medical history collected. About 2/3 of the participants in the C8 Health Project agreed to participate in C8 Science Panel studies. A list of the Science Panel studies, and findings to date, can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

For Immediate Release April 16, 2012
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Announces Probable Links between C8 and Testicular, Kidney Cancers

The C8 Science Panel announced today that it is more probable than not that exposure to C8 in the Mid-Ohio Valley was linked to testicular cancer and kidney cancer. Citing the largest study ever undertaken between cancer and those with C8 exposure levels above general population background levels, the Panel found no other links between C8 (also known as PFOA) and any other of 21 cancer sites. They also found no links to adult onset diabetes.

In February 2005, a West Virginia Circuit Court approved a class action settlement in a lawsuit about releases of a chemical known as C8, or PFOA, from DuPont’s Washington Works located in Wood County, West Virginia. One major piece of the settlement was the creation of the C8 Science Panel consisting of three independent epidemiologists to determine whether there is a probable link between C8 exposure and human disease.

The Panel is composed of three epidemiologists with a long history of studying the relation between environmental exposures and disease. The three panelists are Dr. Kyle Steenland of Emory University in Georgia, Dr. David Savitz of Brown University in Rhode Island, and Dr. Tony Fletcher of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London. The Panel has been working together since 2006. Most of its work has taken place since 2008 when it received the final version of a list of participants in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. In the Project, the level of C8 and other clinical markers in the blood were measured and some medical history collected.

About 2/3 of the participants in the C8 Health Project agreed to participate in C8 Science Panel studies. "This is a very good consent rate for agreement to participate in follow-up studies," said Dr. Savitz. "We were fortunate to have such a large body of data to work with in our research. Without this high degree of community participation we could not have done this study." A list of the Science Panel studies, and findings to date, can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

The Science Panel considered all studies to date of the relationship between C8 and either cancer or diabetes. One of the most important studies on which today's findings were based was a Science Panel follow-up study of 32,000 people (28,000 community residents and 4,000 workers). Interviews with these 32,000 were conducted in 2009-2011. Medical history was collected and the Science Panel sought medical records confirming any diseases reported.

3636 of these study subjects reported having had cancer classified into 21 different types in interviews carried out during 2009-2011. Of these, the Science Panel was able to validate 2420 (70%) diagnoses of primary cancer through medical record review and state cancer registry data. Some cases were not validated because the Panel did not receive consent to review medical records, while others were not validated because medical records failed to confirm the self-reported diagnosis. Dr. Kyle Steenland said, "We didn’t include people simply because they told us they had cancer. We had to back it up with official records, and that took time and great attention to detail."

The Science Panel estimated the level of C8 in the blood of study subjects over time before cancer occurred, relying on records of past emissions from the DuPont plant and the residential history of study subjects. The Panel then determined whether those study participants who had higher levels of C8 in their blood over time had higher levels of cancer. The only two cancers where the Panel found a reasonably consistent and strong relationship between past exposure and cancer were testicular cancer and kidney cancer. Both these cancers are rare. In the Science Panel data there were 19 confirmed cases of testicular cancer and 113 confirmed cases of kidney cancer. After dividing the population into four categories ("quartiles") of increasing level of cumulative C8 in the blood, the kidney cancer rate in the upper categories of the population was 20%, 40%, and 60% higher for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartile compared to those with the lowest exposure. For testicular cancer the corresponding numbers were 80%, 120%, and 170% higher for the upper quartiles compared to the lowest.

A second Science Panel study which looked at cancer was a geographical study. Here the Panel looked at data from all registered cancers supplied by the Ohio and West Virginia Health Departments. They compared cancer rates in exposed areas in the Mid-Ohio Valley versus other non-exposed areas. The Panel found that areas with the highest rates of testicular cancer were the areas with the highest exposure. A similar but less consistent and less pronounced result was found for kidney cancer. "The major effort to map the history of water distribution, combined with comprehensive cancer registration data, provides a valuable resource for our research program," commented Dr. Tony Fletcher.

Regarding diabetes, the same study of 32,000 people described above was able to look at diabetes. 4883 study subjects reported having Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes, and the medical record confirmation was obtained for 3899. The Panel considered exposure before the date of diabetes occurrence. There was no trend of increased diabetes occurrence in those with more exposure. In analyses based on cases confirmed through medical records, there was no trend of increased risk across categories of increasing cumulative PFOA serum levels. While the Science Panel noted that there are other reports which provide some evidence of such a link, they were smaller and based on diabetes mortality, which is not so useful for studying diabetes compared to disease onset. The Science Panel’s new data on diabetes onset from the Mid-Ohio Valley involved a much larger study population and thus provide the strongest piece of evidence against there being a probable link between PFOA and adult-onset diabetes. The Science Panel will consider Type 1 or juvenile diabetes, an auto-immune disease, in a later report. Type 1 diabetes represents about 5-10% of all diabetes.

The Panel announced a probable link with pregnancy-induced hypertension in Dec 2011, while finding no other links with reproductive outcomes. The complete document delivered to the court this past week can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org, as well as additional documentation of the past work of the panel. Final decisions of the Panel with respect to other diseases are due by the end of July.

For Immediate Release December 5, 2011
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Issues First Series of Probable Link Judgments

The C8 Science Panel, chosen to determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and any human disease as part of a class action settlement of a lawsuit involving releases of a chemical known as C8 from DuPont's Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia, issued its first series of assessments of whether there is a probable link between C8 (PFOA) exposure and health outcomes on Monday, December 5, 2011. All other probable link outcomes will be issued by the end of July 2012. The research they conducted on reproductive health was completed and enabled them to make a determination. Four types of health concerns related to pregnancy were addressed.

The Panel found there is a probable link between C8 exposure and pregnancy-induced hypertension (elevated blood pressure in pregnancy). The Science Panel conducted a series of studies of pregnancies among women who were enrolled in the C8 Health Project or were living in the Mid-Ohio Valley in areas with elevated C8 exposure. Three of the four analyses of C8 Health Project participants showed small elevations in risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) or preeclampsia among women with the highest exposure. While the evidence was not completely consistent across studies, and while risk did not always increase progressively as PFOA levels increased, the Science Panel believes the evidence is strong enough to conclude there is a probable link between C8 exposure and the risk of PIH.

The Panel did not find a probable link between C8 exposure and the risk of pregnancy loss, either miscarriage or stillbirth. Studies were conducted using a variety of different methods, addressing the experience of residents of the area including information on pregnancy history as well as analysis of birth records from the West Virginia State Health Department. Results for studies of pregnancies in the period both before and after enrollment in the C8 Health Project found no indication of increased risk among women who had higher C8 exposure, whether that was based on measured values or estimated levels for periods in the past.

The Panel did not find a probable link between C8 exposure and preterm or low birth weight infants, measures of prematurity. Across a series of studies in the Mid-Ohio Valley and some other populations, there was little indication that exposure was associated with increased risk of early delivery or small infant size. Although there were some suggestions of a very small decrease in average birth weight with higher blood levels of PFOA, this decrease was not found consistently and was too small to be of health concern. In one isolated analysis, a subset of preterm birth (those before 32 weeks of gestation) showed a statistical association with increased C8 exposure, but this was not supported by any other analyses and was judged to be most likely to reflect a chance finding.

The Panel did not find a probable link between C8 exposure and birth defects. This possibility was evaluated in studies of the C8 Health Project participants and they did not find any consistent support for an increased risk in women with higher exposure during pregnancy, whether based on blood measurements or historical exposure estimates.

Additional information shared with the court on Monday included three new Status Reports from the ongoing research conducted by the Science Panel. One status report described the association of PFOA and adult thyroid disease in the Mid-Ohio Valley. There were about 33,000 people in the study and 3,600 reported cases of thyroid disease. The Science Panel concluded that data shows a positive association between cumulative blood levels of PFOA and thyroid disease occurrence, using all cases or restricting to cases validated from medical records. Positive trends were statistically significant only for women. The risk of disease increased above the lowest exposure categories, but then did not increase after that.

A second status report described a Science Panel prospective study, in which approximately 15,000 women from the Mid-Ohio Valley were interviewed in 2009-2010 about their reproductive outcomes since 2005. There were approximately 1,800 births in this group during the 5-year study period. There was little evidence of an association between 2005 C8 blood levels in the mothers and with miscarriage, preterm birth (<37 weeks), or low birth weight (<5.5 lbs). However, there was some evidence that pregnancy-induced hypertension among mothers giving birth in 2005-2010 in Ohio and West Virginia was associated with increasing levels of PFOA in the blood measured in 2005-2006. Results from this study were used by the Panel in making their overall probable link decisions regarding reproductive outcomes.

A third status report from the Panel described results from the Science Panel’s Short Term Follow Up study. Nearly 800 participants from the C8 Health Project were invited back and provided further blood samples in 2010, a little over 4 years since the first survey. In that time serum levels of C8 for these people has fallen by about a half. In the first results from that study, the relationship between cholesterol and changes in C8 levels has been considered. Cholesterol did not change much overall but the change was found to be correlated with the change in C8. The more the fall in C8, the more the drop in cholesterol, for LDL cholesterol in particular. For LDL a halving of C8 was associated with a 3.6% drop in LDL.

The Science Panel is made up of three scientists from universities in London, Atlanta and Providence, Rhode Island. The three panelists were agreed upon by both DuPont and the plaintiffs. They are Dr. Tony Fletcher, Dr. Kyle Steenland, and Dr. David Savitz. More information on the panel and its work can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

For Release July 19, 2011
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Submits Three Reports to Court

The C8 Science Panel submitted three reports to the Wood County Court this week, summarizing findings from three separate studies of information collected and tests performed on participants in the C8 Health Project and a follow-up study of workers at the DuPont plant where Teflon is manufactured.

The first report, investigating liver function markers, related C8 levels in 47,092 adults to three clinical markers of liver function. The three markers measured include bilirubin, ALT (alanine aminotransferase), and GGT (gamma glutamyltransferase). With all three markers, increased levels indicate lowered liver function.

While there was no direct association between increase of PFOA (C8) and bilirubin or GGT, there was an increase in levels of ALT, related to increasing PFOA.

However, the Science Panel advises caution in interpreting this link found between PFOA and a marker of liver injury, because of the cross-sectional design of the C8 Health Project. Both PFOA and the liver markers were measured at the same time and therefore we cannot be sure whether the PFOA exposure came before any changes in markers of liver function. Ongoing work is addressing whether liver disease may be affected by raised exposure to PFOA.

The next report submitted to the court detailed the mortality (death) rate of workers employed at DuPont. The group included 5793 workers employed there between 1948 and 2002. The Science Panel looked at 92 causes of death, and the only one significantly higher than the US population was mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused only by exposure to asbestos and unlikely to be related to PFOA. Significant trends of increased kidney cancer and nonmalignant kidney disease were seen with higher PFOA exposure, based on small numbers. There was no overall excess of kidney disease compared to the US population.

The panel noted that mortality studies are not the best way to study many diseases which may not be fatal. Therefore they have conducted an additional worker study based on disease occurrence rather than deaths, and those results will be available in the first half of 2012.

In the third report, the group analyzed pregnancies of women occurring between 1990 and 2005, and studied the relationship between PFOA exposure around the time of pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage (loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks), stillbirth (loss of pregnancy after 20 weeks), preeclampsia (a condition involving high blood pressure and leakage of protein into the urine during pregnancy), preterm birth (early delivery), term low birth weight (an indication of reduced growth), and birth defects (abnormalities in the infant).

No association was found between PFOA levels and miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight or birth defects. There was a small but clear connection between preeclampsia and higher levels of PFOA. There are no other studies to support or challenge this finding. The group will be obtaining additional information on preterm birth and birth weight from ongoing analyses of health department birth records for the study area. These new records will be combined with the current records and other new data before a final assessment about pregnancy outcomes is made.

The C8 Science Panel was chosen to determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and any human disease as part of a class action settlement of a lawsuit involving releases of the chemical known as C8 from DuPont's Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia.

For Release November 29, 2010
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panelist Requests Participant Assistance in Completing Studies

Dr. Kyle Steenland, member of the C8 Science Panel, visited Parkersburg on Monday to make one final plea for participants who wish to be part of the C8 follow-up study. The Panel will pay $40 if this is the first interview, and $20 for a second. He also reminded those who have already had their interviews to complete their authorization of release for medical records so the Panel may have access to documentation of their medical histories. Dr. Steenland spoke to the press on Monday afternoon with the following points:

We are conducting two interview studies, one of the community and one of workers in the DuPont plant. Both studies are going well. The first involves about 30,000 people and the second about 6,000 people.
We planned two interviews for the Community and Workers follow up studies. The first interview was completed in 2009 with very good results. If we exclude people that we could not locate or contact before we ended the first interview, we had a 96% response rate for the Community follow-up and 87% for the Workers follow-up. That’s over 35,000 interviews completed for these two studies.
We started the second interview in May 2010. It’s been going quite well with very good response rate. However, we are still missing many participants due to changes of contact information.
We are getting close to the end of the survey. In order for the C8 Science Panel to have adequate time to analyze the data, we need to end the survey after December 7, 2010. So December 7, 2010 is the final date for eligible participants to do the interview.
Our research team mailed a final letter of invitation to all eligible participants two weeks ago. This is your final chance to participate in the C8 Community and C8 Workers follow up studies. Please call our research team with the following toll-free number if you have not had a chance to do the first or the second interview with us: 1-877-810-9530 ext 512.
Participants who complete the second (shorter) interview receive a $20 gift card; those who never completed the (longer) first interview but now do so will receive a $40 gift card.
We are also requesting medical record release from participants who reported certain health conditions in the interview. If you have received the request from our research team and have not returned it yet, please return the release form as soon as possible. Feel free to call our toll-free number if you have any question about this. Again, the number is: 1-877-810-9530 ext 512.

Steenland went on to thank all those healthcare providers who have provided assistance in responding to request for participants’ medical record information. He pointed out that their assistance continues to be critical to the study’s success.

For Release September 30, 2010
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

New results from study on C8 exposure and delayed puberty in children

A relationship has been found between exposure to the chemical commonly known as C8, and delay in the onset of puberty. Dr. Tony Fletcher, a member of the C8 Science Panel, chosen to determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and any human disease as part of a class action settlement of a lawsuit involving releases of a chemical known as C8 from DuPont's Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia, presented results from a recent study showing delayed puberty related to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA or C8), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).

This study examines the relationship between levels of two polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs), including PFOA and PFOS, measured in the blood serum of child participants in the C8 Health Project (3,076 boys and 2,931 girls), and the chance of reaching puberty. Results are presented as the number of days’ delay in the average age of puberty by exposure group. All participants had been residents for at least a year in the six water districts contaminated with PFOA in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Determinations were made as to whether a young person had reached puberty using the test results of male and female hormones which change at puberty and, for the girls, also asking whether menstrual periods had begun. Results presented by Dr. Fletcher indicated that the association with pubertal delay was stronger for PFOS, and that there was a delay of about six months for boys and four months for girls when higher exposure groups were compared with lower PFOS exposure groups. For PFOA, there was a delay of about four months in puberty for girls and probably not an association for boys, although this could not be ruled out.

Dr. Fletcher commented, “We did find an association between delayed puberty and exposure to PFCs, but these results need to be interpreted with caution. Other explanations need to be considered; in particular that the bodily changes associated with puberty could have led to changes in PFOS and PFOA levels in the children’s blood serum, which then show up as these associations. Another possibility is that some other factors might be leading to both changes in the age of puberty and difference in PFC uptake. We looked at other potential explanations where we had the data, including reported smoking, alcohol intake, obesity and household family income, and in no case did taking them into account make any difference to the findings. But there may be other such causes, and further research is needed.”

These results are summarised in a Status Report submitted to the Wood County Court in West Virginia – “Patterns of age of puberty among children in the Mid-Ohio Valley in relation to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS). C8 Science Panel, Sept 30 2010.”

For Release March 26, 2009
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Reports on Half-Life, Pregnancy Outcomes and Immune Markers

The C8 Science Panel, chosen to determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and any human disease as part of a class action settlement of a lawsuit involving releases of a chemical known as C8 from DuPont's Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia presented findings from three studies in Parkersburg, WV, on March 26. Reports of all results were first filed with the court in Wood County, WV, and are now available through the C8 Science Panel website, www.c8sciencepanel.org.

The following reports were presented and discussed:

Reproductive outcomes in relation to C8 among participants in the 2005-2006 C8 Health Project
Rate of C8 clearance from the body after installation of water filters
Immune Function in relation to C8 among participants in the 2005-2006 C8 Health Project

The Science Panel also invited those present, and any interested member of the public, to visit their website to subscribe to an e-newsletter the group will issue periodically as new information comes available. "It is our goal to be as open and available as possible, and to share information with the interested public as we have it. We look forward to using this direct method of communication to let people know what is happening with our ongoing studies," said Dr. Kyle Steenland on behalf of the group.

The Science Panel is made up of three scientists from universities in London, Atlanta and New York. The three panelists were agreed upon by both DuPont and the plaintiffs. They are Dr. Tony Fletcher, Dr. Kyle Steenland, and Dr. David Savitz. More information on the panel and its work can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

Complete releases on each report follow.

REPORT 1:
C8 Science Panel Completes Pregnancy Outcome Study

The C8 Science Panel has completed a new evaluation of the relationship between C8 (also known as PFOA) and C8S (also known as PFOS) in the blood and reproductive health. This analysis is based on recent pregnancies among the Mid-Ohio Valley residents who participated in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. A summary of the results of this effort has now been filed with the court in Wood County, West Virginia, as required under a court settlement of a class action suit in 2004, and will be available at the C8 Science Panel website, www.c8sciencepanel.org.

Women who participated in the C8 Health Project were asked about each of their pregnancies, indicating in the questionnaire whether they had a miscarriage (loss of the pregnancy before 20 weeks), preeclampsia (a complication of pregnancy with high blood pressure and protein in the urine), low birth weight (infant weighing less than 5_ pounds), preterm birth (infant born 3 weeks or more before the due date), or birth defects (abnormal development of the infant during pregnancy). C8 is present at relatively high levels among many Mid-Ohio Valley residents due to drinking water contaminated with C8 coming from the local DuPont chemical plant. DuPont did not release C8S from the plant, and C8S levels in Mid-Ohio Valley residents are similar to levels in the general US population.

The statistical analysis focused only on those women who reported pregnancies within the 5 years before the C8 Health Project was conducted and lived in the same water district during those five years. This was done so that the serum levels measured by the C8 Health Project would be as close as possible to the levels that the mothers would have had while they were pregnant.

Higher levels of C8 and C8S were not found to be related to miscarriage or preterm birth. There were some weak relationships between both C8 and C8S with preeclampsia and birth defects in the infants, but the evidence to suggest that risk increases with greater exposure is not consistent. The Science Panel found no indication that C8 was related to low birthweight using more complete exposure data than a study recently conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, but C8S did show a weak relationship. Because there is some inaccuracy in the reports on pregnancy, and the number of pregnancies that could be included in this stage of the analysis was limited, the Science Panel could not draw conclusions regarding whether either of these chemicals were associated with problems in pregnancy.

The panel will be conducting a more comprehensive analysis of pregnancies reported to the C8 Health Project, including more years prior to the C8 Health Project and using more complete data on past exposures which will be available from another Science Panel project. An additional Science Panel study will be conducted on all the births in the area using birth certificates. Combining these studies, as well as data from other investigators, the C8 Science Panel will determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and reproductive outcomes.

The Science Panel was chosen to determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and any human disease as part of a class action settlement of a lawsuit involving releases of a chemical known as C8 from DuPont's Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia. The Science Panel is made up of three scientists from universities in London, Atlanta and New York. The three panelists were agreed upon by both DuPont and the plaintiffs. They are Dr. Tony Fletcher, Dr. Kyle Steenland, and Dr. David Savitz. More information on the panel and its work can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

REPORT 2:
C8 Science Panel releases initial half-life study findings

The C8 Science Panel has announced a first preliminary estimate of the time it takes the body to clear C8 from its system once the source of the chemical has been filtered.

Lubeck Public Service District in West Virginia began filtering public water in June 2007 in order to remove PFOA, and Little Hocking Water Association in Ohio began filtering public water in November 2007. The C8 Science Panel has been conducting a C8 Half Life Study to determine how fast C8 is removed from the body after water filters have been installed and exposure to C8 is reduced. "Half life" refers to the time is takes the body to clear one half of its C8.

The Science Panel has been measuring PFOA serum concentrations over time for 200 residents served by these two water districts, starting in June 2007. Two groups of participants were recruited for each of the two water districts: 1.) those reporting primary use of public water for drinking at home, both in the C8 Health Project and in May 2007, and 2.) a smaller group consisting of those reporting primary use of bottled water for drinking at home.

For Lubeck residential customers the average decrease in PFOA serum concentrations in the year after filtration began was 32 ng/ml (26%) for 130 participants primarily consuming public water at home, and 16 ng/mL (28%) for 17 participants primarily consuming bottled water at home. For Little Hocking customers, the average decrease in PFOA serum concentrations in six months after filtration began was 39 ng/mL (11%) for 39 public water consumers and 28 ng/mL (20%) for 11 bottled water consumers.

The estimated average rate of decrease in serum PFOA concentration after filtration for all four groups is 26% per year. Based on these first data of the average PFOA serum half-life, the estimated time to clear 50% of PFOA from the body is 2.3 years. For people with levels above 50 ng/ml as in our study, at this rate of removal about 95% of C8 would be removed from the body 10 years after exposure ended. The Science Panel will be requesting two more blood samples from participants during the next few years, and expects to report more precise half-life estimates when this study is completed in 2012. These new results indicate a clearance rate that is much faster than earlier estimates from a study of small groups of workers.

REPORT 3:
C8 Science Panel completes first analysis of immune marker date

The C8 Science Panel has completed first analyses of data on immune markers in relation to C8 (also known as PFOA) in the blood among the Mid-Ohio Valley residents who participated in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006.

Participants in the C8 Health Project provided blood samples which have been analyzed for a number of immune markers as well as C8 and other fluorocarbons. Immune markers are naturally-occurring chemicals in the blood which indicate how well the immune system can fight off disease. C8 is present at relatively high levels among many Mid-Ohio Valley residents due to drinking water contaminated with C8 coming from the local DuPont chemical plant. This report was restricted to adults, 56,315 individuals at least 18 years of age. These results focus on the immune markers called immunoglobulins, anti-nuclear antibodies and C reactive protein. A decrease in immunoglobulins, such as IgA, can provide an indication of immune-suppression, which in turn can lead to an increased risk for various infections. ANA are antibodies which when increased may indicate an increase in the risk of autoimmune diseases. CRP is a marker of general inflammation and is increased in some chronic inflammatory conditions. A reduction of CRP may indicate a weakness in the ability to mount a normal inflammatory response.

These immune markers are related to a number of other factors and these, including age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol use have been included in the analyses. The results showed clear trends for three of the immune markers in this study, though the magnitude of the change was quite small. For the immunoglobulin IgA, the pattern of association indicated a significant decreasing trend with increasing C8. For the antinuclear antibodies there was an increasing trend with C8. C reactive protein fell with increasing PFOA. In each case the pattern was repeated in the same way for males and females. For the three other immunoglobulins - IgE, IgG & IgM - there were no consistent patterns.

The immune markers mainly lie in normal ranges, the amount of change was quite small, and as the level of C8 and the immune markers were measured at the same point in time, one cannot be sure of which came first. Commenting on these findings, Science Panelist Tony Fletcher said, "We continue to recommend caution in interpreting these trends. Nonetheless the fact that several of these immune markers show a pattern of change raises the concern that there may be an association between immune function and PFOA exposure in exposed persons."

For Release Jan 27 2009
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Releases Results on Uric Acid and C8

C8 Science Panel Completes Uric Acid Study

The C8 Science Panel has completed a new study on uric acid and C8 and C8S, based on existing data from the C8 Health Project. While increased uric acid is associated with higher levels of C8 and C8S, the data are not sufficient to show that these chemicals can cause an increase in uric acid.

The Science Panel team recently completed a study on the relationship between uric acid and C8 (also known as PFOA) and C8S (also known as PFOS) in the blood among Mid-Ohio Valley residents who participated in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. This study was done in collaboration with researchers at West Virginia University. A summary of the results of this study has now been filed with the court in Wood County, West Virginia, as required under a court settlement of a class action suit in 2004, and will be available at the C8 Science Panel website, www.c8sciencepanel.org.

Uric acid is a natural component of the blood, coming largely from dietary sources, particularly meat. Very high levels of uric acid can lead to gout, a form of arthritis, and high uric acid has been associated with higher blood pressure in epidemiologic studies. C8 is present at relatively high levels among many Mid-Ohio Valley residents due to drinking water contaminated with C8 coming from the local DuPont chemical plant. DuPont did not release C8S from the plant, and C8S levels in Mid-Ohio Valley residents are similar to levels in the general US population.

The C8 Science Panel found that that higher serum levels of both C8 and C8S were each independently and significantly associated with a higher uric acid in the blood of 55,000 adults who participated in the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. However, because of the fact that uric acid and C8/C8S were measured at the same time, they could not determine if an increase in either C8 or C8S would cause an increase in uric acid. Other possibilities include that both uric acid and these two chemicals increase in relation to some other unknown chemical in the blood, or even that an increase in uric acid in fact causes increased retention and blood levels of C8 and C8S for unknown reasons. Because of this lack of knowledge about which came first, the uric acid increase or the C8/C8S increase, no firm conclusions about a causal relationship between C8 and C8S and uric acid can be drawn from these findings.

For Release Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008
For More Info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Releases First Results

Presentation slides of Dr Steenland at the Press Conference download pdf.

The C8 Science Panel has completed its first studies of the potential health impact of C8, and held a press conference on Wednesday to announce those findings. As directed by the court, they first submitted their findings as reports to Wood County, WV Circuit Court. These first three reports are all based on data collected during the 2005-2006 C8 Health Project conducted by Brookmar, in which over 69,000 residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley participated. These first reports arise out of data analyses carried out in collaboration with researchers at WVU. Under the direction of Science Panelist Dr. Kyle Steenland, the results are as follows:

The first report describes the C8 levels in the blood of C8 Health Project participants, and some of the factors which explain these C8 levels. Overall, the median (mid-value) C8 level was 28 parts per billion (ppb), much higher than the US population average of about 5 ppb. The most important factors predicting C8 level were living currently in any of six contaminated water districts, working at DuPont, and being male. Current residents in any of the six contaminated water districts had a median level of 38 ppb. Those living in water districts further from the DuPont plant had lower C8 levels. Current residents of the Little Hocking water district had the highest level (median 224 ppb), followed by current residents of Lubeck (70 ppb), Tuppers Plains (37 ppb), Belpre (35 ppb), Pomeroy (12 ppb), and Mason (12 ppb) water districts. Those who were no longer residing in these water districts had lower levels (median 18 ppb). Those who had worked at DuPont had higher levels (current workers 148 ppb, former workers 75 ppb). Males had higher levels than females (34 ppb vs 24 ppb).

The second report examines the relation between blood C8 levels and cholesterol levels in adults at the time of the C8 Health Project, in 2005-2006. Participants with higher levels of C8 tended to have higher levels of cholesterol, with an 11-point increase in total cholesterol between those with lowest C8 levels to those with highest C8 levels. A similar increase was seen for C8 sulfonate (C8S), another fluorocarbon found in the blood of C8 Health Project participants. C8S was not released from the DuPont plant, and levels in the community are similar to levels across the US. The risk of having high cholesterol (defined as more than 240 mg/dl cholesterol in the blood) was about 50% higher in those with raised C8 or C8S in the blood, as determined by comparing those in the top 25% of C8 (or C8S) levels to those in the bottom 25%. The report explained that no conclusions can be made about C8 causing the increase in cholesterol because cholesterol and C8 were measured at the same time in this population, and there is no way to determine which one came first. The Science Panel is carrying out other studies which will not be limited in this way.

The third report deals with adult-onset (Type II) diabetes, both self-reported and medically-verified, among C8 Health Project participants in relation to C8 blood levels in 2005-2006. The Science Panel found no relation between blood C8 levels in 2005-2006 and either self-reported or medically-validated diabetes. There was also a lack of association when the analysis was restricted to more recent cases of diabetes among long-term residents with likely C8 exposure prior to their diabetes. Also, there was no relation between fasting glucose levels (a risk factor for later diabetes) and blood C8 in 2005-2006. As the C8 blood level was measured after the diabetes onset, there is some uncertainty about whether the C8 in the blood came before the diabetes, and an association between diabetes and C8 cannot be ruled out based on the findings in this study. The Science Panel is carrying out other studies which will provide more definite information about whether diabetes and C8 are related.

More details about the findings from these first three Science Panel reports are available at the Science Panel website (c8sciencepanel.org). The text of the status reports filed with the Court is found there. For each status report, a detailed technical report is being submitted for peer review and publication in medical/scientific journals. The Science Panel is continuing to work with researchers at WVU in analyses of data from the C8 Health Project. Summaries of the data from the C8 Health Project can be seen on the WVU C8 Health Project data-hosting website at http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/c8/.

The Science Panel is conducting ten other studies, nine of which are not based only on C8 Health Project data, over the next two to four years. Much of this work is based on new interviews with community residents who participated in the C8 Health Project or who worked at DuPont. These interviews have recently begun. The Science Panel will need the help of all community members from the impacted water districts to complete its studies and provide scientifically valid answers about the possible relation of C8 to disease.

The C8 Science Panel was chosen to determine whether a probable link exists between C8 and human disease as part of a class action settlement of a lawsuit involving releases of a chemical known as C8 from DuPont's Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia. The C8 Science Panel is made up of three scientists from universities in Atlanta, New York, and London. As part of their charge, the Science Panel is conducting a series of studies which will shed light on any relationship between C8 and disease. These studies are described on the Science Panel website, www.c8sciencepanel.org. The findings of these studies, together with other published data, will be evaluated by the Panel to determine which, if any, diseases have a probable link to C8 exposure. The results of individual studies are filed with the judge in the form of "status reports" and released to the public. They form part of the evidence needed by the panel; however, one study is rarely enough to be conclusive on its own, and the Science Panel has drawn no conclusions about a probable link between C8 and disease based on these first three reports. Additional status reports are expected over the course of the next three years.

For Immediate Release For More info: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

May 27, 2008

2008 C8 Science Panel Makes Duplicate Data Available

The C8 Science Panel, chosen to determine whether C8 has a probable link with any disease, is now making duplicate copies of portions of the C8 Health Project data available to those Health Project participants who may have lost or misplaced their results. The duplicate data is for the level of C8 and the nine other related fluorocarbons measured in the C8 Health Project conducted in 2005-2006 by Brookmar. Dr. Kyle Steenland, one of the Science Panelists, says many participants have asked how they can obtain copies of their personal results. Those copies of the C8 data will be sent to the participants who have consented to be part of ongoing Science Panel studies, and write in with a request. About 2/3 of the C8 Health Project participants have signed such consents. Those who have already consented may request copies of their data by mail, by following the sample letter at http://www.c8sciencepanel.org/results.html. Those who have not consented may still do so by downloading the consent form at the website, sending it to the Science Panel, and at the same time requesting their duplicate results.

According to Dr. Steenland, letters recently went out from Brookmar, Inc., to those who had blood drawn prior to December 7, 2005, about a third of those who participated in the C8 Health Project. Those participants were sent corrected results. For quality assurance purposes, retesting was done on specimens obtained on or before Dec 7, and these achieved better results. This large number of analyses took some time and these corrected data have now also been given to the Science Panel. "We appreciate the patience of the community, as we have waited to get the best possible, corrected information to begin our work," Steenland said on behalf of the panel.

The C8 Science Panel has been created as part of the settlement agreement with DuPont concerning the presence of C8 in water supplies. The Science Panel is a panel of three scientific experts in the field of epidemiology, who will analyze the data collected by the C8 Health Project and alsoconduct a series of studies over the next one to four years. The community and worker follow-up studies are two of these studies. The three panelists were agreed upon by both DuPont and the plaintiffs. Included are Dr. Tony Fletcher, Dr. Kyle Steenland, and Dr. David Savitz. More information can be found at http://www.c8sciencepanel.org.

May 20, 2008

C8 Science Panel Begins Follow-Up Studies of Community and Workers

The C8 Science Panel, chosen to determine whether C8 has a probable link to any health effects, will begin sending introductory letters in the next few weeks to those involved in their community and worker follow-up studies. The introductory letters will be followed by interviews in the fall, in which study participants will be asked about their medical history.

Those two follow-up studies will provide evidence about whether C8 is linked to any health effects. Such follow-up studies, which track participants' medical history over time and relate disease to the history of C8 exposure, will provide some of the strongest evidence about whether C8 is associated with any disease. Approximately 40,000 adults in the community, who signed consents for the Science Panel studies at the time of the C8 Health Project, will be sent the introductory letters. About 6,000 past and present DuPont workers will also receive letters. Each participant will be compensated $40 after completing the first interview. Those will be conducted over an eight-month period beginning this fall. The interview should take about 30 minutes to complete. The same group will be given a second short interview in 2010, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. Participants will receive a $10 gift card after completing the second interview. Both studies will end in 2010.

There is still time to sign up to participate in the Science Panel community study, for participants in eh C8 Health Project (2005-2006) who have not yet done so. Those interested in participating may go to the Science Panel website (www.c8sciencepanel.org) and download the consent form, and mail it in to the address given for the Science Panel.

The Science Panel's work is independent of the earlier C8 Health Project. The one-year C8 Health Project was set up under the settlement agreement of a class action lawsuit, and collected data on blood levels of C8 in the community, as well as medical and demographic history of community residents. Data collection for that project, under the direction of Brookmar, Inc., was completed by mid-2006. The C8 Science Panel was also created under the settlement agreement. The Panel is made up of three scientific experts in the field of epidemiology, who will analyze the data collected by the C8 Health Project and conduct a series of studies over the next one to four years. The community and worker follow-up studies are two of these studies.

The three panelists were agreed upon by both DuPont and the plaintiffs. Included are Dr. Tony Fletcher, Dr. Kyle Steenland, and Dr. David Savitz. More biographical information may be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

May 16 2008

For Immediate Release May 16; For More Information: Lisa Collins, 304/483-1355

C8 Science Panel Responds to Release of Preliminary Results on C8

The C8 Science Panel, chosen to determine whether C8 has a probable link with any disease, is making a statement in response to recently released C8 results of preliminary analyses from WVU.

According to Dr. Kyle Steenland, one of the C8 Science Panel, "West Virginia University has recently released information from the C8 Health Project. These include some simple table and graphs relating C8 to several blood tests. These do not represent a thorough data analysis. Therefore, the C8 Science Panel does not believe they provide valid information regarding the presence or absence of association between C8 exposure and health outcomes.

The C8 Science Panel will analyze the data that serves as a basis for these reports in more detail. There is a possibility the initial impressions from these simple tabulations may change considerably when we evaluate the information more systematically.

The Science Panel's charge is to assess whether there is a probable link between C8 exposure to community residents and health effects. The Science Panel is the only entity that is charged by the Court under the terms of the settlement with evaluating and reaching conclusions on this issue.

We will make extensive use of the information collected through the C8 Health Project in 2005-2006. Besides analyzing the C8 Health Project data itself, we will also conduct follow-up studies of the C8 Health Project participants which will provide stronger information than the data from the C8 Health Project. The data from the C8 Health Project by itself is insufficient, even when completely analyzed, to draw any firm conclusions about whether C8 is linked to disease."

When complete, the Science Panel reports will be filed with the Court, published in academic journals, and shared directly with the interested public. Their first analyses of the C8 Health Project data will be made public later this year.

WVU researchers have analyzed the C8 Health Project data under a contract with Brookmar, Inc. Brookmar was set up as part of a Settlement Agreement following a lawsuit between community residents and Dupont. Brookmar conducted the C8 Health Project.

The C8 Science Panel was been created under the same Settlement Agreement but is independent of Brookmar and the C8 Health Project, although the Panel will be analyzing the C8 Health Project data. The Science Panel is made up of three scientific experts in the field of epidemiology, who will analyze the data collected by the C8 Health Project, administered by Brookmar in 2005-2006. The Science Panel will also conduct a series of studies over the next one to four years. The three panelists were agreed upon by both DuPont and the plaintiffs. Included are Dr. Tony Fletcher, Dr. Kyle Steenland, and Dr. David Savitz. More information can be found at www.c8sciencepanel.org.

Past Press Releases

For Media Inquiries, please contact Lisa Collins/Salter & Associates at lisacollins@suddenlink.net or
call her at 304/483-1355

Press Release April 30, 2007

C8 Science Panel Initiating Study of How Long C8 Remains in the Body

The C8 Science Panel, appointed by the Wood County Circuit Court to determine whether a link exists between C8 and human disease, is beginning a five-year half-life study of residents served by the Little Hocking and Lubeck water systems. The purpose of this study is to determine how quickly C8 is removed from the body once the chemical is no longer present in the water supply. The term half-life refers to the time it takes to clear out half the C8 in the body. Both Little Hocking and Lubeck water systems plan to begin using special filters to remove C8 from drinking water this year. The Science Panel has been collecting and examining background data on C8 exposure and health, including the data being made available by the C8 Health Project. This is its first field project involving efforts to collect new information from members of the community.

Those who participated in the Brookmar C8 Health Project and signed a Science Panel consent form may be contacted to participate in this study. In May and June of 2007, two hundred of those participants will be randomly selected and called with an invitation to participate in the half-life study. Those who are eligible and accept will be asked additional questions and asked to donate small amounts of blood during home visits on eight occasions over the next four years. Participants will receive $50 per blood sample.

By carrying out these repeated measurements, this study will provide much-needed details on the time C8 takes to be cleared from the body in the months and years after exposure stops. This will help the other Science Panel studies by improving estimates of past C8 blood levels. Preliminary results from the half-life study will be available partway through the study, and complete findings at the end of four years.

The three scientists chosen as the C8 Science Panel will each oversee individual studies throughout the course of the next several years. This study is being led by Science Panelist Dr. Kyle Steenland. Dr. Steenland is Professor at the School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to coming to Emory, he worked for 20 years at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is part of CDC. The other Science Panelists are Dr. Tony Fletcher and Dr. David Savitz.

Dr. Steenland will be assisted by Dr. P. Barry Ryan and Dr. Scott Bartell of Emory University. Each Science Panelist establishes his own work team for the particular study being conducted.

More information on the work of the C8 Science Panel may be found at the website, www.c8sciencepanel.org. The C8 Science Panel was appointed by the Wood County Circuit Court as part of the Settlement Agreement in a class action lawsuit, Leach, et al. v. E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company to collect, examine, and analyze health data in order to determine if there is any link between C8 exposure and human disease. These activities include analysis of C8 Health Project data collected by Brookmar, Inc. using blood samples and questionnaires, as well as a variety of new studies aimed at answering specific scientific questions.

Press Release November 14, 2006

C8 Science Panel Describes Planned Studies

Nov. 14 - First results of the new research program in C8 and human health will be available early next year, according to two members of the C8 Science Panel, independent epidemiologists chosen by the parties to the C8 class action settlement to investigate possible associations between C8 and human disease. Dr. Kyle Steenland and Dr. Tony Fletcher were in Parkersburg, WV on Tuesday, November 14 to announce the beginning of their research and explain the various studies they will be conducting.

They have also met recently with several area residents. Steenland said, "We want to establish relationships that will help us with our work, and help keep the community involved and informed."

They also announced they are looking for more participants for their follow-up research. Area residents who participated in the Brookmar C8 Health Project, and did not sign consent forms allowing the science panel to contact them in the future, are asked to download those forms from the website, www.c8sciencepanel.org [click here], or pick one up at many local libraries and Par Mar stores. These should be returned to the Science Panel as soon as possible.

Steenland and Fletcher described their work as "the most comprehensive study of C8 and human health ever done." They plan to conduct ten separate studies, calling them important pieces of the overall picture that will help determine whether C8 is associated with human health problems. Eight studies will focus on diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and aneurysm, immune function, liver and hormone disorders, and birth outcomes. Two studies will examine C8 exposure. The results of each study will be announced as each project is completed. The final results, incorporating the findings of all studies, are expected in 4-5 years.

Science panel members include: Dr. Tony Fletcher, environmental epidemiologist at the London School and Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Dr. Nelson Kyle Steenland, Professor at the School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; and Dr. David Savitz, Professor of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Savitz was unable to attend the news conference.

Complete details of each study, including a timeline of when results will be announced, are available here.