Sometimes even I find the news shocking . . . .

There has been so much developing news on the C8 front lately. But, I have to admit that even I was shocked to learn that as recently as last year DuPont was still spilling large quantities of the controversial perfluorochemical into the Ohio River.

This information was not apparent from the administrative consent order drafted by WVDEP and agreed to by the company. Rather, we had to request the detail in order to find out that among the ten spills DuPont will pay $1.6 million in fines to resolve with the state, at least three were related to large quantities of C8 going into the river within the past three years.

Fortunately for Little Hocking and Lubeck consumers, their water is being filtered by means of a special system constructed by the company specifically for the purpose of reducing PFOA. However, Parkersburg and Vienna do not test frequently for the presence of C8 in their drinking water. So, I suspect that any potential spikes or surges brought on by these spills went undetected.

This makes it even more important that local consumers heed the advice of the ATSDR. Vulnerable populations – particularly the elderly, pregnant women and babies – need to be protected by reducing exposure as much as possible. Infant formula should not be mixed with local tap water. Pre-mixed formula is substantially more expensive, but there are alternatives not mentioned in the ATSDR guidance like bottled water or nursery water.

While it’s still too soon to know exactly what human health effects may result from exposure, there is good reason to be concerned about developmental effects, subtle changes in body chemistry, and weakening of immune responses.