Dec 27: Systems to remove C8 from water months from completion

POMEROY VILLAGE -- "A study released last summer by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine revealed that Little Hocking customers had the highest concentrations of C8 in their blood. The study looked at 326 Ohio residents living near the Washington Works plant in West Virginia and found they had 80 times more C8 in the blood than the general population. 'We are in the process now of looking at the 95 percent review plans and are hoping that construction will be complete by the end of April 2006,' said Bob Griffin, who manages Little Hocking's system. Until then, a majority of Little Hocking's 4,300 customers will rely on bottled water DuPont is supplying to the district. It's the only district where DuPont agreed to provide the service," Brian Farkas, Akron Beacon Journal.

Dec 25: Fight cancer with prevention

BIRMINGHAM, AL -- "A disturbing New York Times article recently reported that fumes and residue from a chemical ingredient in Teflon-coated cookware are a "likely carcinogen." It noted that packaging for microwave popcorn, fast food, pizza and in some paper plates may also break down into this 'likely carcinogen.' The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been studying this chemical since 1999. A study by the 3M Co. found that of 600 children tested, 96 percent have this chemical in their blood. A chemical study of umbilical cord samples from the American Red Cross found babies average 200 known toxic chemicals in their blood, such as mercury, fire retardants, pesticides - and that chemical in Teflon, even before being born. Furthermore, EPA's 'Guidelines for Carcinogenic Risk Assessment' reports, 'Children receive 50 percent of their lifetime cancer risk in the first two years of life,'" editorial, Birmingham News.
MORE ON DUPONT TEFLON

Dec 22: DuPont rips call for C-8 warning

NEW CASTLE, DE -- "DuPont Co. is blasting a call by the United Steelworkers Union that carpet dealers and manufacturers warn consumers about possible harmful effects from carpets made with its controversial chemical compound perfluorooctanoic acid... Perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA or C-8, is used in the manufacturing of stain-resistant carpets, nonstick cookware and fast-food wrappers. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advisory panel has said that, based on studies in animals, PFOA is a likely human carcinogen," Gary Haber, Delaware News Journal.

Dec 21: Steelworkers union alerts carpet retailers and manufacturers about 'duty to warn' customers of possible harm from Teflon-related chemical

PITTSBURGH -- "The United Steelworkers union has mailed information to over 4,500 retail carpet dealers and sent letters to the CEOs of 35 carpet manufacturing companies informing them that they may have 'a legal duty to warn' their customers about potential harmful effects of carpets that may contain perfluorooctanoic acid, a Teflon-related chemical also known as PFOA or C8 that may be present in various stain repellents. DuPont Company is a major manufacturer of some of the relevant stain repellant products," press release, United Steelworkers.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Papers sealed in 3M lawsuit But judge widens chemical inquiry, John Welbes, Pioneer Press.

Dec 19: Settlement reached between DuPont and EPA

WASHINGTON, DC -- "The Environmental Protection Agency says DuPont hid information about the dangers of a chemical used to manufacture Teflon. The allegations prompted an investigation by the EPA, and now, the company will pay 16.5 million dollars to settle the complaint. The EPA says it's the largest administrative penalty it has ever won," Fred Kight, Great Lakes Radio Consortium.

Dec 18: DuPont won't say how C-8 is formed
Residents fear contamination

DEEPWATER, NJ-- "EPA officials late last year accused DuPont of withholding information about potential health hazards connected with PFOA-related compounds. The agency said the company held back for decades evidence that the chemical could contaminate fetal blood in pregnant workers, as well as information about pollution that eventually tainted water systems serving more than 30,000 people in Ohio and West Virginia. Another allegation in the eight-count complaint settled by the $16.5 million penalty charged that company officials failed to report 'significant lethality' in rats exposed to unnamed perfluorinated compounds in 1997, a fact 'that should have been reported immediately,' an EPA official said," Jeff Montogomery, Delaware News Journal.

Dec 16: DuPont, EPA Settle
Company to pay $16.5 million to settle PFOA allegations

COLUMBUS -- "DuPont will spend $16.5 million to settle allegations that it withheld information about perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from EPA, the agency said. Granta Y. Nakayama, EPA assistant administrator for enforcement, says the most serious allegation involved failure to report for more than 20 years that PFOA was found in the umbilical cord blood of a baby of a woman working at DuPont's plant outside of Parkersburg, W.Va. That facility uses PFOA to manufacture DuPont's Teflon brand of polytetrafluoroethylene. The information demonstrating that PFOA moves across the placenta "should have been reported immediately to EPA," Nakayama says," Cheryl Hogue, Chemical & Engineering News.

• ConAgra's letter to Ohio Citizen Action, November 28.

• Action alert: Write to your local grocery store.

• Press release: Ohio Citizen Action names names: ConAgra Foods uses Teflon chemicals in packaging . 21.5KB doc.

Oct 25:  Public hearing held to discuss industrial waste landfill



PARKERSBURG -- "Joe Kiger, a concerned citizen, said he was mystified that the Department of Environmental Protection would allow DuPont to dump C8 into area creeks and streams. 'The EPA even came out and said it was a possible carcinogen,' Kiger said. 'If this is a carcinogen, why not stop the dumping, issue a moratorium, until a scientific panel makes a decision. People are scared to death. They shouldn't have to live like that.' John Wigal, who lives near the landfill, said he was outraged that regulators permit the dumping of chemicals into nearby creeks. The dump affects all residents who live in the area watershed, said Wigal and his son Joseph. It creates fear about drinking water and water used for agricultural purposes, they said. Several residents who live near the dump said their water foams, indicating there is something unnatural present," Roger Adkins, Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

PARKERSBURG -- Wood residents oppose DuPont permits, Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette.

Oct 6:  Ohio EPA encourages use of free bottled water program in C8 areas

LITTLE HOCKING-- "The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has notified customers of the Little Hocking Water Association and those who have private wells where C8 has been detected that they should continue to use bottled water for drinking and cooking. 'The presence of C8 does not necessarily mean it is harmful, as that has not been determined by the U.S. EPA, but because of this uncertainty, Ohio EPA is recommending the use of bottled water,' said Jim Leach, Ohio EPA spokesman," David Payne, Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

CHARLESTON, WV -- C-8 Unit Pays Residents, Residents are paid up to four-hundred dollars each to complete a personal health history and a blood test, WOWK-TV.

Aug 12:  DuPont C8 tests OK with EPA
State agency is not concerned that federal EPA suspects company might be withholding data

CIRCLEVILLE -- "The Ohio EPA said it trusted DuPont to test air and water for C8 contamination near its Circleville plant and to tell the public about the results. More than a year later, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has not received some of the results. And Du-Pont waited nine months before it told a group of local officials and residents that perfluorooctanoic acid, or C8, was not a problem there. The testing and what followed occurred at the same time DuPont faces U.S. EPA accusations of illegally withholding information about the possible health risks of C8, a chemical the company uses to make Teflon...Simona Vaclavikova, program director for the advocacy group Ohio Citizen Action, said the Ohio EPA should have been involved in the entire testing process. 'Why should we trust DuPont to do all these tests?' she said," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Access fee; no link.

Aug 11:  C8 test data secret for months
DuPont revealed in April that EPA had it run tests for chemical in ’04

COLUMBUS -- "Environmental officials relied on DuPont to tell the public about health concerns that the state has about a chemical the company uses at its Circleville plant. DuPont, which faces two federal investigations over its use of C8 at a West Virginia plant along the Ohio River, waited nine months to tell an invited group of mostly Pickaway County officials about a chemical a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency panel calls a likely carcinogen. Records show that although the Ohio EPA knew C8 was released into the Scioto River and into the air at DuPont’s Circleville Works plant as early as July 2004, the agency’s inquiry wasn’t announced until DuPont told the group in April. 'They should be in a lot of hot water for knowing this and not letting anyone else know,' said Simona Vaclavikova, program director for Ohio Citizen Action, which has worked with Ohio residents living near Washington Works plant near Parkersburg, W.Va.," Columbus Dispatch. Access fee; no link.

CIRCLEVILLE -- Ohio residents concerned about chemical in water, NBC 4.

RALEIGH, NC -- Nonstick cookware risk in question, Suzanne Havala Hobbs, News & Observer.

Aug 10:  Chemical found at Circleville plant site

CIRCLEVILLE -- "A chemical used to make Teflon has been found in the air near DuPont’s Circleville plant and in wastewater that trickles into the Scioto River. Perfluorooctanoic acid, or C8, started a firestorm in southern Ohio after it was found in drinking water in five Ohio towns and in as many communities in West Virginia...Ohio EPA records obtained by The Dispatch show C8 was found in wastewater tests Du-Pont conducted in July and in October 2004 at the Circleville plant. DuPont has tested for C8 in wells used for drinking water in Pickaway and Ross counties...In December, the Circleville plant began incinerating its wastewater contaminated with C8 instead of sending it through water treatment, plant manager Rob Banerjee said. DuPont has agreed to reduce or eliminate its use of C8 by the end of 2006, he added...Banerjee said DuPont told Pickaway County officials about the issue this year. 'They didn’t think they were doing the community any harm,' said County Commissioner John Stevenson. 'Do I have total confidence that there’s nothing there? No, not exactly. But I was given evidence that there’s nothing harmful there and that they’re trying to control it,'" Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Access fee; no link.

CIRCLEVILLE -- C8 found in wastewater, air at DuPont's Circleville plant, Akron Beacon Journal.

DEEPWATER, NJ -- Union raps DuPont on C-8 disclosure, Steelworkers urge health warnings on products, Jeff Montgomery, Delaware News Journal.

Aug 9:  Steelworkers Union alerts commercial users of DuPont Teflon-related chemical about 'Duty to Warn' customers of possible harm

PITTSBURGH, PA -- "Citing growing public health concerns, the United Steelworkers (USW) union has informed major carpet cleaning retailers and wholesalers, fast food chains, and major retail clothing companies that they may have "a legal duty to warn" their customers about potential harmful effects of products that may contain the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA or C8. PFOA is used to manufacture DuPont's widely used Teflon non-stick cookware. PFOA is also created when fluorotelomers -- which are a family of stain and water resistant chemicals -- break down. Fluorotelomers are applied to carpets, clothing, pizza boxes, hamburger wrappers and french fry containers. DuPont is the only known manufacturer of PFOA in the U.S.," press release, United Steel Workers.

Aug 4:  Testing for Teflon chemical under way along Ohio River

COLUMBUS -- "Testing of up to 80,000 Ohio and West Virginia residents is under way to determine whether their health has been affected by drinking water containing a chemical used to make Teflon. DuPont agreed in February to pay for the screenings to settle a class-action lawsuit. The testing, which is expected to last a year, involves the collection of personal health histories and blood samples from residents who receive their drinking water from six public-water districts, or from private wells within the districts, where concentrations of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or C8, have been found. The water supplies are near DuPont’s Washington Works plant, along the Ohio River near Parkersburg, W.Va.," Associated Press, Access fee; no link.

CHARLESTON, WV -- C8 health screenings begin in West Virginia, JoAnn Elmer, Charleston State Journal.

Aug 3:  Sticky situation: debate over safety of Teflon

ALBANY, NY -- "Don Klesa sighs at the question. He's been hearing it for years as customers stop in Different Drummer's Kitchen in Guilderland N.Y. and consider a nonstick pan. Is it safe? 'There are people that come in and say, 'Should I be concerned about this?' and I tell them, 'Not if you use it properly,' he said. But adding legitimacy to the questions about Teflon is a panel of scientists enlisted by the EPA, which took a critical look at the wonder coating used on everything from skillets and pizza boxes to flooring and fabrics... David Carpenter, physician and director of the State University of New York at Albany's Institute for Health and the Environment, said he expects PFOA's to go the way of another once-useful cocktail of chemicals known as PCBs... 'I certainly would advise people not to purchase Teflon-coated cookware,' he said, adding that he's not as concerned about an immediate danger to the people who use the pans. But buying the products only puts more PFOAs into the environment," Jennifer Gish, Albany Times Union.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Are our products our enemy?, Elizabeth Weise, USA Today .

PARKERSBURG, WV-- C8 testing under way, Pamela Brust, Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

RALEIGH, NC — Activists ask for oversight over DuPont , Michael Wagner, Fayetteville Online.

Aug 1:  Report shows toxic chemicals prevalent in Americans' bodies

WASHINGTON, DC -- "The most worrisome news, from the Environmental Working Group, shows that even in utero, babies have an average of 200 chemical contaminants in their bloodstreams. The EWG report analyzed 10 samples of umbilical-cord blood taken by the American Red Cross across the country. The most prevalent chemicals in the newborns were mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and the Teflon chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), recently characterized as a likely human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board. 'If ever we had proof that our nation’s pollution laws aren’t working, it’s reading the list of industrial chemicals in the bodies of babies who have not yet lived outside the womb,' U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., said of the EWG report in a press release," Shannon Brennan, Lynchburg News and Advance.

Jul 28:  Ohioans found full of C8 near DuPont plant

COLUMBUS -- "Ohioans who live across the Ohio River from a DuPont plant in West Virginia that makes Teflon have much higher-than-normal levels of a controversial chemical in their blood. The plant’s neighbors have up to 80 times as much C8 in their blood as most other Americans, probably from their drinking water, according to a health study issued yesterday... Officials of the Little Hocking Water Association, which supplies water to most of the 326 people tested, said they hope to use the information to persuade DuPont to pay for a new system to pipe in clean water. 'We want water without any C8 or perfluorinated compounds,' said Bob Griffin, the association’s general manager... Health studies suggest that most people’s bodies have C8 levels of 5 parts per billion. Emmett’s study of four Ohio River communities found median blood levels ranging from 298 parts per billion in Belpre, Ohio, to 369 parts per billion in Vincent, Ohio. While researchers continue to study how C8 gets into humans worldwide, Emmett said drinking water was the prime source for southeastern Ohioans," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Access fee; no link.

CHARLESTON, WV -- Study says humans ingest C8 through drinking water , Brian Farkas, Associated Press.

MARIETTA -- New study finds levels of chemical up in people using water , Justin McIntosh, Marietta Times.

PARKERSBURG, WV -- C-8 testing begins , Amber Davison, WTAP TV.

Jul 27:  Is there an extra ingredient in nonstick pans?

WASHINGTON, DC -- "The question of whether Teflon cookware is safe has moved from Web site chatter to the courtroom. But more than nonstick frying pans are under scrutiny these days. Scientists are examining the chemical makeup of other products like food containers to gauge their potential hazards... Several animal studies, including one by the Environmental Protection Agency, show that fluorotelomers, chemicals used in food packaging as well as in rugs and clothing, break down into PFOA in the environment and when ingested... Fluorotelomers are used in microwaveable popcorn bags, in packaging for fast foods like sandwiches, chicken and French fries, as well as in packaging for pizza, bakery items, drinks and candy. They are also found in paper plates. There is currently no way for consumers to tell if packaging contains fluorotelomers," Marion Burros, New York Times.

Jul 26:  Toxic Waste
New research reveals that children--and even newborns--have dangerous chemicals in their blood. What parents can do to protect their kids.

WASHINGTON, DC -- "Doctors once thought that the placenta would shield a fetus from harmful chemicals and pollutants. But new research shows that may not be the case. A study published this month by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an advocacy group based in Washington DC, found traces of 287 chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of 10 infants. They included mercury, pesticides and the chemicals used in stain-resistant coating and fire-retardant foam. The findings prompted concerns since children’s smaller brains, developing organs and more porous brains put them more at risk from such toxins than adults. 'A child's brain is very vulnerable and developing very rapidly in utero and during the first two years of life,' says Jane Houlihan, co-author of the study," Martha Brant, Newsweek.

Jul 24:  Will Environmental Fear Stick to DuPont's Teflon?

WASHINGTON, DC -- "Critics point to [perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA or C8] as an example of the need to change how chemicals are regulated. In the 50 years that Teflon has been made, for example, little has been done to assess whether it affects human health - even though the chemical is present in the blood of more than 90 percent of Americans, according to samples taken from blood banks by the 3M Company beginning in the mid-90's. Chemical makers are not required to test their compounds for toxicity before asking the E.P.A. to clear them for sale, and the agency said that most companies did not test voluntarily. The E.P.A. relies instead on methods, like computer modeling, to prevent harmful compounds from entering the market...'The system does not work, and our blood and bodies and tissues are proof,' said David M. Ozonoff, a professor of environmental health at Boston University's School of Public Health," Amy Cortese, New York Times.

Jul 23:  Water system conducts C8 tests

MARIETTA -- " The level of the chemical C8 in the blood of a small group of Little Hocking Water Association customers has recently been found to be much higher than residents living in Lubeck, W.Va., much closer to the DuPont Washington Works plant where the chemical is used. The chemical, which has been used by DuPont at its Washington Works plant across the Ohio River from Belpre and Little Hocking since the 1950s, has been a health concern for many residents and officials in the Belpre and Little Hocking areas. A link between C8 and diseases in humans hasn’t been established but concerns about the chemical’s presence in area water systems persists. DuPont officials maintain the chemical is not harmful to humans," Justin McIntosh, Marietta Times.

Jul 22:  Dozens of chemicals found in most Americans' bodies

WASHINGTON, DC -- "In the largest study of chemical exposure ever conducted on human beings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that most American children and adults were carrying in their bodies dozens of pesticides and toxic compounds used in consumer products, many of them linked to potential health threats...Environmental groups have called for U.S. law to require chemical companies to test industrial compounds more comprehensively, a proposal similar to one that the European Parliament is to debate in the fall. The evidence that many contaminants amass in children more than in adults could mean that they are exposed to larger amounts — perhaps from crawling, breathing more rapidly or putting items in their mouths — or that their bodies are less able to cope with or metabolize them. In the womb and in the first two years after birth, children undergo extraordinary cell growth, from brain neurons to immune cells, so there are more opportunities for toxic compounds to disrupt the cells," Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times.

WASHINGTON, DC -- CDC: Levels of harmful materials in blood fall, Jeff Montgomery, Delaware News Journal.

CHARLESTON, WV -- Honest Science under siege, Conflicts of interest, 'seeding results' and a broken monitoring system erode the public's trust, Tim Montague, OhmyNews International.

Jul 21:  Residents demand answers about C-8
Customers in affected districts are told not to drink water until more questions are answered.

POINT PLEASANT, WV-- "Stella Mash, 64, wants to know whether a substance that has seeped into her water supply caused the cancer that killed her 39-year-old daughter earlier this year. For years, rumors have circulated that C-8, a substance used to make Teflon by DuPont's Wood County plant, causes cancer. At least six local water districts in West Virginia and Ohio, including Mash's in Mason County, are known to be contaminated with C-8... 'It's impossible for us to make an informed decision,'said Point Pleasant resident Ben Stevens. 'We drink this water. We bathe in it. We wash our clothes in it. It's impossible with the information we're being given to know what to do. We live here. We have to take the risk. It's like playing Russian roulette with our drinking water,'" JoAnn C. Elmer, State Journal.

MIAMI, FL -- Suits challenge safety of Teflon, Knight Ridder.

Jul 20:  Suit targets DuPont over Teflon

WASHINGTON, DC -- "Residents of Ohio and seven other states are filing a $5 billion class-action lawsuit against DuPont Co. saying the chemical giant long failed to warn consumers on the dangers of a Teflon chemical. Two Florida law firms said Tuesday they were filing the suit on behalf of 14 people who bought and used cookware with the nonstick Teflon. It is made using perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, known as PFOA, or C-8. The plaintiffs want DuPont to spend $5 billion to replace the cookware, impose a Teflon warning label and create two funds to pay for medical monitoring and more scientific research, said Alan Kluger of Miami-based Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin, P.L... 'DuPont has known for over 20 years that the Teflon product and the PFOA chemical it contains causes cancer in laboratory animals,' Kluger said. 'I don’t have to prove that it causes cancer. I only have to prove that DuPont lied in a massive attempt to continue selling their product,'" John Heilprin, Plain Dealer.

WOOD COUNTY -- Independent tests find higher levels of C8, Callie Lyons, Athens News Messenger.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Dupont sued over alleged carcinogen, Patrick Danner, Miami Herald.

HOUSTON, TX-- DuPont sued in Teflon class action case, Matt Daily, Reuters.

Jul 19:  What is the Risk?
Government tries to solve C8 puzzle

WASHINGTON, DC -- "While there is still no definitive answer to the question, 'Is C8 a health risk to humans?' two federal agencies are trying to put together pieces of the puzzle. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board, a panel of independent scientists, released their draft report on PFOA – also known as PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid - with a warning that they believe the substance is more harmful than initially suspected, calling it a 'likely human carcinogen.' Preliminary results of a Food and Drug Administration study shared with an audience in Barcelona, Spain reveal that the controversial manmade chemical is potentially being served up to millions of unaware consumers daily - not through plant emissions or landfill pollution - but as a common ingredient in popular food packaging," Callie Lyons, first of five articles printed in the Athens News Messenger, July 6, 2005.
Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

• Body burden — The pollution in newborns, Environmental Working Group