By Sandra Sleight-Brennan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-890563.mp3
Parkersburg, West Virginia - Ohio River – DuPont's slogan in the 1950s was "Better Things for Better Living Through Chemistry". But today, many living near DuPont's plant outside Parkersburg, West Virginia have found that chemistry has not made for better living. One man-made chemical, C8, has seeped into their water systems and drinking it in high levels, says the U.S. EPA, is "likely" to cause cancer. And recently, the U.S. EPA has lowered the amount they allow local water districts to have in their water.
Ellen Mumma's water comes from a 60 foot deep well on her property - about 7 miles from the Ohio River. Her well is now treated by DuPont.
"I was a little surprised and other people were a little surprised that people with wells is far from the origin of the chemical were being affected," she says. "How harmful it is if at all is still unclear as far as I know. But, it's something that the U.S. EPA does not like and I see no reason that I should contradict them and say, I'm sure it's no problem.'"
As a result of a huge - 70 thousand person - class action lawsuit in 2006 DuPont has to provide water treatment to people who live in the six affected water districts and to several hundred private well owners. C8 levels in some water systems are now going down but lately, in the Little Hocking well field, the levels have been rising. Now, that Water District is suing DuPont to clean their entire aquifer. "It's in the air and water and it's in the soil," says Callie Lyons.
When the story first started to unfold in 2003 she was a reporter for the Marietta Times and raising her two young daughters in nearby Belpre, Ohio. Its water was contaminated. She has followed the story closely since then.
"People who consume more locally grown fruits and vegetables have higher levels of C8 in their blood," Lyons says. "It's a very personal issue. Because of course, it's not just us, but there are many places around the country that had the same contamination problems. We just seem to have the higher levels than anyone else in the world."
But, what exactly IS C8? I asked Ohio EPA staffers Steve Williams and Sarah Wallace from the Division of Drinking and Groundwater.
"PFOA," Williams answered. "C8 is another term for perfluorooctanic acid. It's a chemical that is used in making fluoropolymers like Teflon "
As well as, Gortex and hundreds of other products. It's a problem for everyone in the nation to varying degrees. Even people who don't live here have C8 in their blood. C8 exposure has been linked to health problems, including liver damage, immune problems, developmental abnormalities, birth defects, and high cholesterol. The EPA and other sources say that over 90% of all Americans have five to six parts per billion in their bodies - that's about average. But for people who live in Little Hocking Water District - directly across the Ohio River from DuPont, the level can be can be as high as 600 parts per billion.
"I guess at first I was just amazed that it had been kept secret for so long because it had been discharged for more than 20 years," says Callie Lyons. "That was pretty significant. And pretty amazing when you think about the fact that any unregulated chemical could be that way. We can find out about something new today that's been in the water for 50 years and, since it is unregulated, we just have no way of tracking."
There is no consensus on how C8 may affect people. However, concerns have been raised because of data from blood samples and animal experiments and more studies are in progress. DuPont has reduced the amount of C8 it releases, but, in late 2009, the EPA lowered its recommended "safe" level of C8 in water systems. And no one knows yet if that will ultimately be the safest level for human health.