No single epidemiologic study is sufficient to determine whether C8 damages health. The Science Panel has designed a series of different kinds of studies which are described briefly below. These studies will generally begin in late 2006 and will end anywhere from one year to five years later. Some of theses studies will be based on already collected information, while others will require collection of new information, including interviews and blood samples. Any information gathered on individuals will be kept confidential by the Science Panel. In many cases a study will require a team of investigators, but in all studies a member of the Science Panel will oversee the conduct of each specific the study. Furthermore, the Science Panel as a whole will review all studies.

Choose from the list to jump to specific study:

Cholesterol, diabetes, uric acid, and C8 levels among participants in the C8 Health Project
The Immune Function, Liver, Hormone Disorders and Cancer Prevalence Study Based on the C8 Health Project
The Community Follow-Up Study
The Worker Follow-up Study
The Study of Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley
The Study of Birth Outcomes among the C8 Health Project Participants
The Geographic Patterns of Cancer Study
Follow-up Study on Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders
The Exposure Study
The Half-life Study
Neurobehavioral Development Study

1. Cholesterol, diabetes, uric acid, and C8 levels among participants in the C8 Health Project
(Investigator - Kyle Steenland)

The C8 Health Project carried out by Brookmar gathered information from August 2005 to July 2006 and analyzed blood for C8 level, cholesterol, insulin, glucose, etc. In this study, we will look at the data already collected from approximately 55,000 participants over age 20 to determine whether the results of some tests related to heart disease, such as total cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, red blood cell counts, glucose, and others, are associated with C8 blood level.
Timeline: Data collection complete - data to be provided to Science Panel in 2007, first results in 2008

For more details on the Cardiovascular Risk Factors Measured in the Blood, click here

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2. The Immune Function, Liver, Hormone Disorders and Cancer Prevalence Study Based on the C8 Health Project
(Investigator - Tony Fletcher)

The C8 Health Project done by Brookmar analyzed blood for roughly 69,000 participants, including indicators of immune function, liver and hormone disorders, and levels of C8. This study will look in depth at this information. They also filled out a questionnaire, and we will look at the self-reported disease the participants listed in the questionnaire on cancers and diseases related to problems with the immune system, the liver, and the endocrine or hormone regulation system. Using this information we will look at the relationships between C8 blood levels and the above outcomes taking into consideration factors such as age, sex, smoking and obesity for each participant. The first phase of analyses will use the C8 concentrations measured at the time of the C8 Health Project, and a later phase will take the results of the half-life study (see #10 below) to estimate past C8 concentrations and relate these to past disease.
Timeline: data collection complete, data to be provided to Science Panel in 2007, first results in 2009

For more details on The Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders Study based on the C8 Health Project, click here

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3. The Community Follow-up Study
(Investigator - Kyle Steenland)

We will look at new diseases occurring for such endpoints as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, among adults who participated in the C8 Health Study. We will follow approximately 37,000 adults (a subset of the original 70,000 participants residing in the six water districts) for four years to see what happens overtime, since not all diseases show up right away. We'll collect information on new diseases using a questionnaire, and by reviewing medical records (with permission). We'll also look at state cancer registries and death records for new diseases occurring in that four-year period. We will then compare the rate of new disease here with other Americans having little to no C8 exposure.
Timeline: data collection now to 2010, results in 2011.

For more details on the Community Follow-up Study, click here

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4. The Worker Follow-up Study
(Investigator - Kyle Steenland)

DuPont is studying 6,000 Washington Works plant workers (who worked anytime between January 1, 1952 and December 31, 2001) to see if they have died of certain diseases at a higher rate than expected. We will do a separate study, following these workers for about four years to determine what diseases they have had, with special interest in cancer, heart disease and diabetes. We will interview workers about their medical histories and things like marital status, smoking and alcohol history, and level of education. We'll review medical records (with permission), state cancer registries, and we'll interview relatives of workers who have died. We'll compare the rate of new disease among these workers with others having little to no C8 exposure.
Timeline: data collection now to 2010, results in 2011

For more details on the Worker Follow-up Study, click here

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5. The Study of Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley
(Investigator - David Savitz)

This study will determine whether birth outcomes, including stillbirth, preterm birth (early delivery), and birth weight, are related to C8 exposure. We will gather information from the Ohio and West Virginia state health department Vital Records offices on births in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Using information on where the mother lived when she gave birth, we will estimate how much C8 she was exposed to while pregnant. From this analysis, we can learn whether mothers with more estimated C8 exposure had a higher risk of having worse birth outcomes.
Timeline: data collection 2007 through early 2008, analysis 2008, results 2009

For more details on the Study of Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley, click here

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6. The Study of Birth Outcomes among the C8 Health Project Participants
(Investigator - David Savitz)

This study also looks at whether birth outcomes are related to C8 exposure among the C8 Health Project participants. In addition to the birth outcomes examined in the Mid-Ohio Valley Community Study (stillbirth, preterm birth, birth weight), in this study we will also look at miscarriage, pregnancy complications like preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), and birth defects among newborn babies. Women in the C8 Health Project answered questions about their pregnancies in the original survey. We will use this information from the questionnaire, and link to information from the birth records kept by Ohio and West Virginia health departments for those women who provided consent to do so. Another Science Panel Study, the Exposure Study, will help us estimate how much C8 women were exposed to while pregnant. We will look at whether the women we think were exposed to more C8 while pregnant had more problems with their pregnancies
Timeline: data collection 2008, analysis 2008 through 2009, results 2009

For more details on the Study of Birth Outcomes among the C8 Health Project Participants, click here

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7. The Geographic Patterns of Cancer Study
(Investigator - Tony Fletcher)

We will use state cancer registries, census tract and zip codes, water district records and other records in West Virginia and Ohio, to study whether rates of cancer incidence and cancer deaths differ in relation to levels of exposure to C8. We will compare rates in the affected water districts to unexposed counties nearby, and within the exposed areas assess how cancer rates vary depending on exposure to C8 in the different water districts.
Timeline: data collection now to 2009, results in 2010.

For more details on the Geographic Patterns of Cancer Study, click here

top

8. Follow-up Study on Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders
(Investigator - Tony Fletcher)

Of the roughly 70,000 participants in the C8 Health Project, about two thirds gave their consent to be part of follow-up studies. A subset of this group, consisting of 1,000 individuals, will be re-contacted to participate in this study. We will conduct interviews and collect further blood samples to help us better understand the relationships between C8 blood levels and outcomes with the immune, liver and endocrine systems. Using the new blood samples, we will do a much more complete set of tests of the immune system and relate these to C8 levels. We will be able to compare trends in clinical tests and trends in C8 concentrations. We'll collect additional information such as blood pressure.
Timeline: data collection and analysis up to 2009, results 2010

For more details on the Follow-up Study on Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders, click here

top

9. The Exposure Study
(Investigators - Kyle Steenland and Barry Ryan, Emory University)

To estimate past exposure to C8 in drinking water, we will study how much C8 was released from the Washington Works plant each year into the air and water. We'll look at known wind patterns and measurements of C8 in water. Taken together with residential histories from the C8 Health Project, we will be able to estimate how much C8 the 70,000 participants have taken into their bodies from drinking water over time.
Timeline: data collection 2007, analysis end of 2007-8, results 2009

For more details on the Exposure Study, click here

top

10. The Half-life Study
(Investigators - Kyle Steenland, Barry Ryan, Scott Bartell, Emory University)

To better understand the relationship between past C8 exposures and current C8 blood levels, we will invite 200 adults from the C8 Health Project to participate in a longer study to determine the rate of removal, often called the "half-life", of C8 from the body Participants will be paid for providing up to eight blood samples and answering questionnaires.

We'll measure C8 levels in each blood sample during a four-year period.
Timeline: data collection 2007-2010, analysis and results ongoing with completion in 2011

For more details on the Half-life Study, click here

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11. The Study of C8 and Neurobehavioral Development among Children from the C8 Health Project

This study considers whether child neurobehavioral development is related to C8 exposure among children who participated in the C8 Health Project. Neurobehavioral development refers to how children learn and behave compared to other children the same age. Some of the children who participated in the C8 Health project and who will be 6 - 11 years old during the data collection period will be invited to participate in the Neurobehavioral Development Study. We will only enroll children who were born and lived their entire lives in one of the affected water districts. We will interview children and parents to collect information that can be used to help us understand whether there is a relation between C8 exposure and the way children learn and behave.

Timeline: Data collection 2009 through 2010; data analysis 2010; results 2011

For more details on the Neurobehavioral Development Study, click here

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C8 Science Panel Studies
Home The Science Panel Panel Members Press C8 Science Panel Studies - Introduction - Why Further Study is Necessary - The Studies At A Glance - Timeline - Confidentiality of Personal Information - Additional Community Participation Info for Study Participants C8 Study results Consent Form C8 Health Project C8 Test Results Newsletter Links Contact	The Studies At A Glance No single epidemiologic study is sufficient to determine whether C8 damages health. The Science Panel has designed a series of different kinds of studies which are described briefly below. These studies will generally begin in late 2006 and will end anywhere from one year to five years later. Some of theses studies will be based on already collected information, while others will require collection of new information, including interviews and blood samples. Any information gathered on individuals will be kept confidential by the Science Panel. In many cases a study will require a team of investigators, but in all studies a member of the Science Panel will oversee the conduct of each specific the study. Furthermore, the Science Panel as a whole will review all studies. Choose from the list to jump to specific study: Cholesterol, diabetes, uric acid, and C8 levels among participants in the C8 Health Project The Immune Function, Liver, Hormone Disorders and Cancer Prevalence Study Based on the C8 Health Project The Community Follow-Up Study The Worker Follow-up Study The Study of Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley The Study of Birth Outcomes among the C8 Health Project Participants The Geographic Patterns of Cancer Study Follow-up Study on Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders The Exposure Study The Half-life Study Neurobehavioral Development Study 1. Cholesterol, diabetes, uric acid, and C8 levels among participants in the C8 Health Project (Investigator - Kyle Steenland) The C8 Health Project carried out by Brookmar gathered information from August 2005 to July 2006 and analyzed blood for C8 level, cholesterol, insulin, glucose, etc. In this study, we will look at the data already collected from approximately 55,000 participants over age 20 to determine whether the results of some tests related to heart disease, such as total cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, red blood cell counts, glucose, and others, are associated with C8 blood level. Timeline: Data collection complete - data to be provided to Science Panel in 2007, first results in 2008 For more details on the Cardiovascular Risk Factors Measured in the Blood, click here top 2. The Immune Function, Liver, Hormone Disorders and Cancer Prevalence Study Based on the C8 Health Project (Investigator - Tony Fletcher) The C8 Health Project done by Brookmar analyzed blood for roughly 69,000 participants, including indicators of immune function, liver and hormone disorders, and levels of C8. This study will look in depth at this information. They also filled out a questionnaire, and we will look at the self-reported disease the participants listed in the questionnaire on cancers and diseases related to problems with the immune system, the liver, and the endocrine or hormone regulation system. Using this information we will look at the relationships between C8 blood levels and the above outcomes taking into consideration factors such as age, sex, smoking and obesity for each participant. The first phase of analyses will use the C8 concentrations measured at the time of the C8 Health Project, and a later phase will take the results of the half-life study (see #10 below) to estimate past C8 concentrations and relate these to past disease. Timeline: data collection complete, data to be provided to Science Panel in 2007, first results in 2009 For more details on The Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders Study based on the C8 Health Project, click here top 3. The Community Follow-up Study (Investigator - Kyle Steenland) We will look at new diseases occurring for such endpoints as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, among adults who participated in the C8 Health Study. We will follow approximately 37,000 adults (a subset of the original 70,000 participants residing in the six water districts) for four years to see what happens overtime, since not all diseases show up right away. We'll collect information on new diseases using a questionnaire, and by reviewing medical records (with permission). We'll also look at state cancer registries and death records for new diseases occurring in that four-year period. We will then compare the rate of new disease here with other Americans having little to no C8 exposure. Timeline: data collection now to 2010, results in 2011. For more details on the Community Follow-up Study, click here top 4. The Worker Follow-up Study (Investigator - Kyle Steenland) DuPont is studying 6,000 Washington Works plant workers (who worked anytime between January 1, 1952 and December 31, 2001) to see if they have died of certain diseases at a higher rate than expected. We will do a separate study, following these workers for about four years to determine what diseases they have had, with special interest in cancer, heart disease and diabetes. We will interview workers about their medical histories and things like marital status, smoking and alcohol history, and level of education. We'll review medical records (with permission), state cancer registries, and we'll interview relatives of workers who have died. We'll compare the rate of new disease among these workers with others having little to no C8 exposure. Timeline: data collection now to 2010, results in 2011 For more details on the Worker Follow-up Study, click here top 5. The Study of Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley (Investigator - David Savitz) This study will determine whether birth outcomes, including stillbirth, preterm birth (early delivery), and birth weight, are related to C8 exposure. We will gather information from the Ohio and West Virginia state health department Vital Records offices on births in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Using information on where the mother lived when she gave birth, we will estimate how much C8 she was exposed to while pregnant. From this analysis, we can learn whether mothers with more estimated C8 exposure had a higher risk of having worse birth outcomes. Timeline: data collection 2007 through early 2008, analysis 2008, results 2009 For more details on the Study of Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley, click here top 6. The Study of Birth Outcomes among the C8 Health Project Participants (Investigator - David Savitz) This study also looks at whether birth outcomes are related to C8 exposure among the C8 Health Project participants. In addition to the birth outcomes examined in the Mid-Ohio Valley Community Study (stillbirth, preterm birth, birth weight), in this study we will also look at miscarriage, pregnancy complications like preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), and birth defects among newborn babies. Women in the C8 Health Project answered questions about their pregnancies in the original survey. We will use this information from the questionnaire, and link to information from the birth records kept by Ohio and West Virginia health departments for those women who provided consent to do so. Another Science Panel Study, the Exposure Study, will help us estimate how much C8 women were exposed to while pregnant. We will look at whether the women we think were exposed to more C8 while pregnant had more problems with their pregnancies Timeline: data collection 2008, analysis 2008 through 2009, results 2009 For more details on the Study of Birth Outcomes among the C8 Health Project Participants, click here top 7. The Geographic Patterns of Cancer Study (Investigator - Tony Fletcher) We will use state cancer registries, census tract and zip codes, water district records and other records in West Virginia and Ohio, to study whether rates of cancer incidence and cancer deaths differ in relation to levels of exposure to C8. We will compare rates in the affected water districts to unexposed counties nearby, and within the exposed areas assess how cancer rates vary depending on exposure to C8 in the different water districts. Timeline: data collection now to 2009, results in 2010. For more details on the Geographic Patterns of Cancer Study, click here top 8. Follow-up Study on Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders (Investigator - Tony Fletcher) Of the roughly 70,000 participants in the C8 Health Project, about two thirds gave their consent to be part of follow-up studies. A subset of this group, consisting of 1,000 individuals, will be re-contacted to participate in this study. We will conduct interviews and collect further blood samples to help us better understand the relationships between C8 blood levels and outcomes with the immune, liver and endocrine systems. Using the new blood samples, we will do a much more complete set of tests of the immune system and relate these to C8 levels. We will be able to compare trends in clinical tests and trends in C8 concentrations. We'll collect additional information such as blood pressure. Timeline: data collection and analysis up to 2009, results 2010 For more details on the Follow-up Study on Immune Function, Liver and Hormone Disorders, click here top 9. The Exposure Study (Investigators - Kyle Steenland and Barry Ryan, Emory University) To estimate past exposure to C8 in drinking water, we will study how much C8 was released from the Washington Works plant each year into the air and water. We'll look at known wind patterns and measurements of C8 in water. Taken together with residential histories from the C8 Health Project, we will be able to estimate how much C8 the 70,000 participants have taken into their bodies from drinking water over time. Timeline: data collection 2007, analysis end of 2007-8, results 2009 For more details on the Exposure Study, click here top 10. The Half-life Study (Investigators - Kyle Steenland, Barry Ryan, Scott Bartell, Emory University) To better understand the relationship between past C8 exposures and current C8 blood levels, we will invite 200 adults from the C8 Health Project to participate in a longer study to determine the rate of removal, often called the "half-life", of C8 from the body Participants will be paid for providing up to eight blood samples and answering questionnaires. We'll measure C8 levels in each blood sample during a four-year period. Timeline: data collection 2007-2010, analysis and results ongoing with completion in 2011 For more details on the Half-life Study, click here top 11. The Study of C8 and Neurobehavioral Development among Children from the C8 Health Project This study considers whether child neurobehavioral development is related to C8 exposure among children who participated in the C8 Health Project. Neurobehavioral development refers to how children learn and behave compared to other children the same age. Some of the children who participated in the C8 Health project and who will be 6 - 11 years old during the data collection period will be invited to participate in the Neurobehavioral Development Study. We will only enroll children who were born and lived their entire lives in one of the affected water districts. We will interview children and parents to collect information that can be used to help us understand whether there is a relation between C8 exposure and the way children learn and behave. Timeline: Data collection 2009 through 2010; data analysis 2010; results 2011 For more details on the Neurobehavioral Development Study, click here top