C8. April 28, 2004. New High in levels of C8 worries water customers. By Brad Bauer. The Marietta Times (Ohio).

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK PESTICIDE PROJECT

Return to Newspaper articles and Documents related to this Class Action

C8 or C-8: PFOA is perfluorooctanoic acid and is sometimes called C8. It is a man-made chemical and does not occur naturally in the environment. The "PFOA" acronym is used to indicate not only perfluorooctanoic acid itself, but also its principal salts.
The PFOA derivative of greatest concern and most wide spread use is the ammonium salt (Ammonium perfluorooctanoate) commonly known as C8, C-8, or APFO and the chemical of concern in the Class Action suit in Ohio.

Ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO or C8)
CAS No. 3825-26-1. Molecular formula:

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA or C8)
CAS No: 335-67-1. Molecular formula:

The DuPont site where APFO is used as a reaction aid is the Washington Works (Route 892, Washington, West Virginia 26181) located along the Ohio River approximately seven miles southwest of Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The Little Hocking Water Association well field is located in Ohio on the north side of the Ohio River immediately across from the Washington Works facility. Consumers of this drinking water have brought a Class Action suit against the Association and DuPont for the contamination of their drinking water with DuPont's APFO, which residents and media refer to as C8.

PFOA is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers to produce hundreds of items such as non-stick surfaces on cookware (TEFLON), protective finishes on carpets (SCOTCHGUARD, STAINMASTER), clothing (GORE-TEX), and the weather-resistant barrier sheeting used on homes under the exterior siding (TYVEK).

Online at: http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/0428202004_new03neww.asp

April 28, 2004

The Marietta Times (Ohio)

New high in levels of C8 worries water customers

By Brad Bauer, bbauer@mariettatimes.com

Little Hocking Water Association customers are expressing concern over reports that the levels of the chemical C8 in their water is at its highest since testing began in 2001.

DuPont, which produces the chemical C8 at its Washington, W.Va., plant near Little Hocking, said the amounts detected are still well below any cause for concern and that it expects the numbers will continue to fluctuate.

"I still worry about it," said Gale Moyers, of Ohio 550, Barlow. "I worry about C8 being in my water even though they say the parts per billion aren't enough to cause any concern."

Moyers' home is one of the 4,000 residences or businesses served by the Little Hocking Water Association.
The most recent water samples from wells at the Little Hocking Water Association showed an average increase of 3.27 parts per billion from the previous test.

The highest number recorded from any of the water association's wells was 10.10 ppb, still well below the 150 ppb considered to be the safe level established by West Virginia health officials and recognized by the Ohio EPA.

DuPont's principal hydrologist, Andrew Hartten, based in Wilmington, Del., acknowledged the current levels of C8 are higher than what has been previously recorded, but said there is a natural fluctuation and maintained there was no cause for alarm.

"The point here is that the fluctuations are expected and normal and within a range that is expected by the folks doing the monitoring," Hartten said.

Little Hocking Water Association General Manager Robert Griffin expressed concerns that the levels of C8 are at their highest levels, despite reports from DuPont that it is reducing emissions.

"One problem is that we don't know how long it takes to absorb into the groundwater," Griffin said. "We need to figure that out."

Hartten said there is a lag of two to six years from when the chemical is emitted until it might be detected in the Little Hocking Water Association. He said DuPont is working with the EPA to implement a study to better pinpoint the time it takes to reach the water supply.

Hartten said after six years' time, he expects the amount of C8 found in the water district's supplies to decline. Until then, Hartten said the numbers will continue to fluctuate.

"That's what we would hope," Hartten said. "Once again, I would say the additional studies we are proposing would likely confirm those questions."

Hartten said DuPont is negotiating with the EPA to install and monitor shallow wells in the Little Hocking area to better pinpoint the amount of time it takes for the chemical to reach the water supply.

Hartten said those wells should be in place by later this year.

Still, some water customers are not overly concerned about the chemical, which is a detergent-like material used by DuPont to manufacture fluoropolymers such as Teflon.

"I suppose it is not too big a problem or we wouldn't be allowed to drink it," said William Bills, 67, a 50-year resident of Veto, which is served by the water association. "They would just shut off the taps if it was something to be concerned about."

The next set of tests scheduled for the Little Hocking water supply is set for May, with results expected in July.On the Net

Little Hocking Water Association, Inc.: www.littlehockingwater.org