C8. July 3 2004. Little Hocking water customers get C8 notice. By Pamela Brust. 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).

http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/073202004_new04littlehock.asp

The Marietta Times (Ohio)

Saturday, July 3, 2004

Little Hocking water customers get C8 notice

By Pamela Brust LITTLE HOCKING -

The Little Hocking Water Association has mailed a "notice of contamination" to customers, informing them the district's water contains levels of the chemical known as C8.

The chemical's presence "may pose serious health risks," the notice says. The notice also warns customers in the western Washington County system to use the water at their own risk.

Ammonium perfluorooctanoate, referred to as C8, has been used by DuPont at its Washington, W.Va., Works plant across the Ohio River from Washington County since the 1950s as part of its manufacturing process, which includes the production of Teflon.

Robin Ollis, with external affairs at the DuPont Washington Works plant, said Friday the company has no comment regarding the Little Hocking letter other than a press release issued June 30. The water association mailed its letter June 28.

"There is no scientific evidence that PFOA (another name for C8) causes adverse human health effects in any segment of the human population. In addition, based on expert evaluation of human health and toxicology studies, DuPont remains confident that PFOA does not cause cancer, developmental or any other adverse health effects in humans," according to the release.

The Little Hocking notice makes reference to incomplete and misleading information about potential health risks of C8, and inappropriate allegations about DuPont conduct, said Washington Works plant Manager Paul Bossert.

Dave Freeman, 44, of 7523 State Route 555, a Little Hocking water customer, said getting the mailing was a bit of a surprise.

"It was worrisome for folks who had not been keeping up with the issue," Freeman said. "It sort of rattled me. It's a reminder that we really don't know what we are dealing with."

The water association's letter notifies its customers that in February test results showed levels of C8 in the association production wells as high as 10.10 parts per billion.

The letter, signed by Robert L. Griffin, general manager for the water association, outlines the background of a pending class action lawsuit in Wood County Circuit Court. The suit, filed in
August 2001 by residents of Washington and Lubeck against DuPont Washington Works, alleges the residents have suffered health problems because of C8 contamination.

Little Hocking Water Association customer Gayle Camp, of Vincent, said while she was aware of most of the information in the letter, it was still disturbing.

"I thought it was kind of brazen of them to say you're drinking the water at your own risk right above the part where they tell you they are raising the water rates," Camp said.

Camp said she continues to use the tap water, and is waiting to see what the upcoming trial on the class acton suit will reveal.

Under a November 2001 agreement with two West Virginia agencies, DuPont began sampling water supplies along the Ohio River. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection notified Little Hocking in January 2002 that sampling results indicated C8 concentrations up to 7.69 ppb in the groundwater supplies.

"To date, neither the federal or state governments have established either air or water pollution standards for C8," the letter notes.

Little Hocking serves an estimated 4,000 residences and businesses.