Why Further Study is Necessary

There have been studies done in laboratories that suggest C8 exposure is linked with some health effects in animals, but there is very little reliable information on what, if anything, C8 does to people. Animal studies suggest that exposure can cause some cancers, but up to this point the few human studies which have been done have shown no clear increase in cancer. Animal studies show some problems with reproduction, but no human studies have been done. There are some human studies suggesting C8 at high levels can increase cholesterol, which is in turn tied to heart disease, but other studies of humans have not shown any increase in cholesterol. There is no strong evidence of heart disease in the few human studies which have studied this disease. Animal evidence indicates C8 can damage the liver, but again, the few human studies which have been done do not support this. In short, the human studies that have been done are too few to provide reliable evidence for us to make an assessment. There have been preliminary results in our study area indicating that some residents have C8 in their blood, but that doesn't tell us what, if anything, C8 might be doing to human health. Our set of studies will be the most comprehensive work done on C8 and human health effects, not just here, but anywhere.

We have to conduct a series of related studies and then combine the results in order to see the bigger picture. We'll compare the exposed population to a group that has not been exposed. We'll study how much C8 people were exposed to, and by what route. We'll study how quickly the body gets rid of C8 once it gets in. We will separately study endpoints including cancer, birth defects, and heart disease, among others.

We have designed a series of ten different studies, some based on already-collected information, while others will require collecting new information, including interviews and blood samples. Some of these studies are already underway. In many cases a study will require a team of investigators to work with the Science Panel. A member of the Science Panel will oversee the conduct of each specific study.



Community Study Summary
Home The Science Panel Panel Members Press Community Study Summary - Introduction - Why Further Study is Necessary - The Studies At A Glance - Timeline - Confidentiality of Personal Information - Additional Community Participation C8 Study results C8 Test Results Consent Form C8 Health Project Links Contact	Why Further Study is Necessary There have been studies done in laboratories that suggest C8 exposure is linked with some health effects in animals, but there is very little reliable information on what, if anything, C8 does to people. Animal studies suggest that exposure can cause some cancers, but up to this point the few human studies which have been done have shown no clear increase in cancer. Animal studies show some problems with reproduction, but no human studies have been done. There are some human studies suggesting C8 at high levels can increase cholesterol, which is in turn tied to heart disease, but other studies of humans have not shown any increase in cholesterol. There is no strong evidence of heart disease in the few human studies which have studied this disease. Animal evidence indicates C8 can damage the liver, but again, the few human studies which have been done do not support this. In short, the human studies that have been done are too few to provide reliable evidence for us to make an assessment. There have been preliminary results in our study area indicating that some residents have C8 in their blood, but that doesn't tell us what, if anything, C8 might be doing to human health. Our set of studies will be the most comprehensive work done on C8 and human health effects, not just here, but anywhere. We have to conduct a series of related studies and then combine the results in order to see the bigger picture. We'll compare the exposed population to a group that has not been exposed. We'll study how much C8 people were exposed to, and by what route. We'll study how quickly the body gets rid of C8 once it gets in. We will separately study endpoints including cancer, birth defects, and heart disease, among others. We have designed a series of ten different studies, some based on already-collected information, while others will require collecting new information, including interviews and blood samples. Some of these studies are already underway. In many cases a study will require a team of investigators to work with the Science Panel. A member of the Science Panel will oversee the conduct of each specific study.