NEWS COVERAGE

The news media reports below are a sample of the most recent news coverage on C8 related issues. Because of possible copyright concerns, we have included direct links to the publisher instead of providing a PDF copy. Some links expire rather quickly, so it is advised that the reader print any articles that he/she wishes to preserve. Descriptions or quotes from the articles are included below to assist the reader in locating the original through the publisher in the event that a link has expired. We try to monitor the links to the extent possible, and make note of expirations when they occur. Please e-mail or regarding any additional news stories that may be of significance to C8 contamination issues and related science.

 

 

C8 study backs up lawsuit, judge told (Charleston Gazette, August 6, 2008)

"Preliminary data from the nearly 70,000 person C8 Health Project support previous findings that the Dupont Co. Chemical damages the liver and raised cholesterol levels, Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin was told." (Story by Ken Ward, Jr., Charleston Gazette investigative reporter)

California legislation would ban PFOA and similar compounds from food packaging sold in California by 2010 (Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2008)

A bill pending in the California legislature will ban C8 from food packaging by 2010. It has been approved by the Senate and passed by the Assembly Health Committee. Bill Walker, vice president of EWG says, "There's never been a chemical found that affects animals but has no effect on humans." Dupont's spokesman claims that there is no evidence that PFOA is harmful to humans.

Testimony continues on Parkersburg C8 water contamination case (Charleston Gazette, July 3 and 4, 2008)

Expert testimony regarding concerns about Parkersburg C8 water contamination was given before Judge Joseph R. Goodwin in Federal Court at Charleston July 2 and 3. Parkersburg News reporters and coverage were conspicuously absent, but the hearings were detailed by Charleston Gazette investigative reporter Ken Ward, Jr.

Manchin seeks review of appeal in DuPont lawsuit (AP story published in Charleston Gazette and elsewhere July 2 and 3, 2008)

West Virgina governor Joe Manchin files a "friend of the court" brief in support of Dupont's efforts to overturn a punitive damages verdict related to corporate pollution of the environment. This is the same governor who appointed former Dupont attorney Stephanie Timmermeyer as head of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (the agency that has the responsibility to regulate corporate polluters).

Expert Disqualified From C8 Lawsuit (Gazette 6/11/08)

Federal District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin disqualified toxicologist Elizabeth Anderson from testifying for Dupont in a pending lawsuit pertaining to C8 contamination of Parkersburg, West Virginia, municipal water.

C6 of One, Half Dozen of the Other (Grist 6/10/08)

"Meanwhile, phaseout or not, C8 is still causing problems: it's suspected to be contaminating groundwater near a DuPont plant in New Jersey, and the chemical company is also investigating high rates of cancer at a plant in West Virginia."

C8 Meeting (WTAP 6/10/08)

Meeting with concerned individuals at Hockingport, Ohio, regarding C8 exposure and the importance of participating in the ongoing science panel studies.

Dupont Plant Linked to Cancer (Delaware News Journal 6/10/08)

Andrew Eder of the News Journal reports on Dupont's plans to investigate a possible cancer cluster at the company's Washington Works plant in West Virginia based on company data that show an abnormally high rate for a rare type of cancer among plant workers. Eder further reports that an EPA spokesman confirmend that PFOA is a "likely" cancer-causing agent in humans according to EPA's internal guidelines. "'If it was a carcinogen, we should have been warned,' (a former Dupont lab analyst) said."

Dupont Studies Cancer Rates Among Employees (Parkersburg News 6/10/08)

Parkersburg News headline story by reporter Michael Erb describes specific tumor found among seven past, present workers. “This wasn’t anything hidden,” said plant manager Bill Hopkins. “We have met with our employees here and are trying very hard to keep our employees informed.” “We have no reason to believe it is associated with C8 or any other chemical for that matter.”

Safety of C8 Substitutes Questioned (Charleston Gazette 6/10/08)

Gazette investigative reporter Ken Ward presents a comprehensive summary of an Environmental Working Group report describing a "staggering array of health effects" attributable to C8 replacement chemicals. In addition, Ward reports: "Environmental Working Group reviewed the industry reports filed under EPA's voluntary (C8) reduction plan, and found significant problems."

Dupont Plans Detailed Cancer Study at W. Va. Plant (Hemscott Group, Limited 6/9/08)

Reports regarding the Dupont Washington Works cancer issue and C8 concerns are news around the globe. This report was published by Hemscott Group, Limited, in London, UK.

Wood County Cancer Numbers Headed to CDC (MetroNews 6/9/08)

Dick Wittberg, director of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, will send information to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the cancer level of Dupont workers being "five times higher". News report states that it is not known if the higher cancer rate is associated with C8.

Dupont Plans Detailed Cancer Study at W. Va. Plant (Forbes 6/9/08)

AP writer Tim Huber quotes Dupont epidemiologist Morel Symons concerning Dupont's intent to follow up on the recently released information about the carcinoid tumors found in Dupont workers in 2006. Plant manager Bill Hopkins denies any correlation to C8, notwithstanding the fact that the Washington Works facility was the only Dupont site with enough cases to warrant further study.

Cancer clusters found at Dupont Washington Works plant below Parkersburg (Charleston Gazette 6/8/08)

Charleston Gazette, June 8, 2008. Gazette writer Ken Ward summarizes findings from Dupont's reports about cancer at the Washington Works Plant that were filed with the EPA on December 7, 2007. Ward's story is also the subject of an AP Newswire.

Body Wars (Baltimore Sun 6/5/08)

Author Donna Jackson Nakazawa answers questions about the spate of autoimmune diseases. She includes PFOA on her list of three immune-altering chemicals.

Acquiring C8 Results (Parkersburg News 5/28/08)

The C8 Science Panel has established protocols for Brookmar Health Project participants to acquire duplicate original copies of the participant's individual blood test results. Participants who have previously given consent to participate in the ongoing science panel studies can request copies of their data by mail, using the sample letter from the Science Panel website (www.c8sciencepanel.org). Participants who have not yet given consent may still do so by downloading the consent form from the same website.

C8 Health Project data filed (Parkersburg News 5/21/08)

Parkersburg News writer/reporter Pamela Brust writes about the filing of Brookmar C8 Project data in a May 21, 2008 Parkersburg News article. Brust notes that the information was gathered in 2005-2006 as part of the largest-ever study of C8's possible health effects. The health project data will be available for analysis and review by qualified institutions and individuals. Brust concludes with Judge Beane's quote of Dr. Paul Brooks, noting that the information will be in the public domain for study, but that the indentification of the participants will never be released.

Science Panel and Dupont reaction to WVU C8 data (Parkersburg News 5/17/08)

In a May 17, 2008, Parkersburg News Article by Pamela Brust, Dupont spokesman Dan Turner is quoted saying: "The information that has been released by WVU is very preliminary and you cannot draw conclusions from it. . . ." Science panelist Dr. Kyle Steenland is quoted: "These (the WVU tables and graphs) do not represent a throrough data analysis . . ."

Endocrine Disruptors In Common Plastics Linked to Obesity Risk (Science Daily 5/15/08)

In an experiment outlined at the conference of the European Congress on Obesity, Suzanne Fenton, a research biologist at the US Environmental Protection Agency, found that when PFOA was given to pregnant mice, their offspring were unusually small at birth then became overweight as adults.

Chemical Used to Make Non-Stick Coatings Harmful to Health (Environmental News Service 5/13/08)

"In a preliminary report, the West Virginia University team said last week that higher levels of PFOA in people are linked with lower levels of a protean that helps the body fight bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens." Environmental News Service report/article, May 13, 2008 (ENS)

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