Thousands of residents around DuPont Co.'s Parkersburg plant have significantly elevated levels of the toxic chemical C8 in their blood, according to the first official results of a comprehensive community health study.

The median C8 level in blood of nearly 69,000 residents was more than five times the U.S. general population, according to test results reported this week.

The highest levels were found among customers of the Little Hocking Water Association in Ohio, who had a median concentration of 132 parts per billion in their blood.

Previous studies have put the median concentration of C8 in the blood of the U.S. general population at about 5 parts per billion.

Evidence has been mounting that links C8 exposure to a variety of health problems, in both animal tests and studies of chemical plant workers. But so far, the chemical remains unregulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Since the 1950s, DuPont has used C8 at its Washington Works plant south of Parkersburg. The chemical is used to make Teflon, other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain- and water-repellant textiles.

C8 is another name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA.

The C8 health study in the Parkersburg area is being funded with money from a settlement of a lawsuit against DuPont that alleged the company poisoned drinking water of thousands of plant neighbors.

The lawsuit settlement is also funding a separate, but related, review of the science to determine if C8 is dangerous to human health.

The blood sample results are available here.

Read more in Saturday's Gazette-Mail.

Thousands of residents around DuPont Co.'s Parkersburg plant have significantly elevated levels of the toxic chemical C8 in their blood, according to the first official results of a comprehensive community health study.

The median C8 level in blood of nearly 69,000 residents was more than five times the U.S. general population, according to test results reported this week.

The highest levels were found among customers of the Little Hocking Water Association in Ohio, who had a median concentration of 132 parts per billion in their blood.

Previous studies have put the median concentration of C8 in the blood of the U.S. general population at about 5 parts per billion.

Evidence has been mounting that links C8 exposure to a variety of health problems, in both animal tests and studies of chemical plant workers. But so far, the chemical remains unregulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Since the 1950s, DuPont has used C8 at its Washington Works plant south of Parkersburg. The chemical is used to make Teflon, other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain- and water-repellant textiles.

C8 is another name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA.

The C8 health study in the Parkersburg area is being funded with money from a settlement of a lawsuit against DuPont that alleged the company poisoned drinking water of thousands of plant neighbors.

The lawsuit settlement is also funding a separate, but related, review of the science to determine if C8 is dangerous to human health.

The blood sample results are available here.

Read more in Saturday's Gazette-Mail.