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Little
Hocking Area C8 Study -- Environmental
Justice Partnership Funded by: the
National Institute of Environmental |
Minutes of the C8 Community Advisory Committee July 19, 2007
The meeting was called to order and facilitaed by Dave Freeman, representing the Decatur Community Association. Others attending the meeting were:
Dr. Edward A. Emmett - University of Pennsylvania
Steve Williams - Ohio EPA
Sarah Wallace - Ohio EPA
Kathleen Meckstroth -Washington County Health Department
Sidney Breckenridge - Warren Local Schools
Molly Varner - Wesley Township
John Hannan - Barlow Township
Tom Neill - Watertown Township
Larry Miskimins - Fairfield Township
John Smith - Belpre Township
Ellen Mumma - Community CoordinatorDr. Emmett reported that 243 people, or about two-thirds of the original sample, had their blood drawn for a follow-up study. Not all of the analysis has been completed at this time, but it was determined that the great majority of sample members had switched to bottled water for drinking shortly after it became available without cost in August 2005. We found that 87% of the original study members switched to bottled water and almost all made some changes, such as using filters if they did not use bottled water.
Results of the second testing showed that C8 levels in the blood decreased by about 27%. A few, about 10% of the sample, showed higher C8 levels and a few wee unchanged. There were definite differences by age: among children six years of age and younger, the levels were reduced by about 50%. Among those over the age of 60, levels were lowered by only about 10%. Sample members who worked at DuPont, as well as living in the Little Hocking Water district, showed some reduction in C8 levels, but less than that of the general population. No effect was found for those who had swimming pools. Letters were sent out to all who contributed samples to the second testing, showing their original C8 levels as well as the levels found in the second test.
The analysis of beast milk samples has not yet begun. The EPA will do the analysis, but not until one more approval has been secured.
The cancer incidence study progresses slowly. The major difficulty is determining exactly who should be included in the study group, mainly due to address changes. Results should be available in one to two months.
Steve Williams of the Ohio EPA announced that 8000 letters were sent out to locate wells used for drinking water. This is in addition to earlier testing of wells in the Little Hocking Water district areas. As of now, 163 eligible responses have been received, 98 wells were sampled and, of these, 15 tested above 0.5 ppm.
Sarah Wallace of the Ohio EPA announced that Marietta has tested their wells for the presence of C8 and results should be available soon.
Results of the most recent testing will be made available to the public at a meeting much like the one held at Warren High School in the summer of 2005. When the cancer study results are available, we will schedule a time for this. It is hoped that the Community Advisory Committee members will participate in "dry run" a day or two prior to the community meeting.
Dr. Emmett announced that he had applied for two follow-up grants. One grant, submitted to the National Institutes of Health, will not be funded. The main reason for this is that most of the reviewers were oncologists and it was felt that there is not enough evidence that C8 is a carcinogen. The second possible grant would study blood samples gathered by hospitals from newborn babies. This grant is still a possibility.
Dave Freeman suggested that the next issue of the community newsletter by postponed until the cancer data are available and a date has been set for the community meeting.
Dr. Emmett spoke about the aims of the initial survey and how they have been met. The community has been involved in the study, with the newsletter, website, and some media support. We have maintained independence and credibility. The routes of exposure to C8 were determined and it was found that the levels of C8 in the blood of those drinking tap water at the time of the original survey were about 100 times the level of C8 in the water. We were able to suggest methods of reducing exposure to C8 and our results were released first to the individuals involved, then to the community, and finally to scientific journals.
Dave Freeman expressed the views of many when he said that the community appreciates Dr. Emmett's sensitivity in putting the individuals and community first when making results available.
Minutes of the C8 Community Advisory Committee April 10,2007
The meeting was called to order and facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Other committee members present were:
Dr. Edward A. Emmett
Dr. Nancy Rodway
Sidney Brackenridge
John Hannan
Molly Varner
Tom Neill
Steve Williams
Ellen Mumma
Dave immediately announced to the members of the public who were present that a recent newspaper article which suggested that information concerning a possible link between C8 levels and cancer would be available at the meeting was incorrect. No committee member was consulted about the content of the article. While we are studying this possible connection, we have no results at the present time.Dr. Emmett talked about blood drawn for the second sample. Approximately 75-80% of the original sample agreed to have a second blood sample drawn and analyzed. The blood was drawn and questionnaires completed at the Decatur Community Building on three occasions in late 2006 and early 2007. Blood chemistry results have been sent to those who gave us samples and the C8 numbers should be sent to participants within the next few weeks.
Dr. Rodway announced that she has breast milk samples from seven nursing mothers living in the Little Hocking water district. These will be analyzed for presence of C8, as will be formula made with Little Hocking tap water and bottled water. Testing will be done by the USEP A.
We are in the process of checking cancer information made available to us by the Ohio Cancer Registry, which reports diagnoses of cancer by address. We plan to look at cancer incidences in the LHW ASD and compare these with the statistics for all of Washington County and with statistics for the 28 counties of Appalachian Ohio. Of particular interest will be the incidences of liver, pancreas, testicular and prostate cancers. Hopefully we will have the analysis completed by summer. One problem is that many addresses in the registry are based on the old system of Route and Box numbers rather than the current road names and numbers which have been used since the 911 system became operational.
Steve Williams of the Ohio EP A announced that there is a concent order between the USEP A and DuPont which reduces the allowable amount of C8 in public water systems to 0.5 ppb. This is separate from and did not result from the class action lawsuit. Steve also announced that there will be expanded testing of private wells. This will be conducted outside the LHW A area, which had.an earlier period of private well testing. Also, it was reported that the 2005 Memo of Understanding between the USEP A and DuPont which called for testing of grass, soil, water, air, fish and small mammals for C8 is close to completion. The public water systems of Belpre, Pomeroy and Tuppers Plains have working filtration systems. The system for Little Hocking is expected to be completed in the fall of 2007.
There was a discussion of the method to be used to make the public aware of results of our survey. It was decided that the earlier public meeting, held at Warren High School in 2005, was successful and that we would try to do a similar meeting in late summer, 2007.
Dr. Emmett stated that he has applied for another grant to extend this survey. We will have funds to continue for a period of up to a year without an additional grant, but with another four-year grant we should be able to repeat our testing and study the half-life of C8 as well as cholesterol, liver and kidney function in those we test.
A question was raised by a member of the public about testing the C8 levels in local produce. While this is an interesting possibility, it would be quite expensive. It is still possible that the USEP A may look at this. Also, we had discussed checking the C8 in the small blood samples taken from heel sticks of newborn babies. This is still a possibility.
Ellen Mumma brought to the committee's attention awards from Ohio Citizen Action to Bob Griffin and Callie Lyons for their work in informing the public about the C8 problems. A presentation ceremony was held in Marietta in March.
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 19, at the Decatur Community Building. Committee members are invited to come at 6:00 for a dinner which will be catered by the Barlow Township Fire Department Laides' Auxiliary.
Minutes of the C8 Study Community Advisory Committee January 11, 2007
The meeting was called to order and facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Other Committee members attending were:
Edward A. Emmett University of Pennsylvania
William Mitchell Barlow Township
John Smith -- Belpre Township
Larry Miskimins Fairfield Township
Sidney Brackenridge Warren Local School District
Sarah Wallace Ohio EPA
Ellen Mumma Community CoordinatorDave Freeman led the discussion of follow-up testing. Two blood draws were held at the Decatur Community Center in November, a third is scheduled for that location on January 13,2007. Dr. Nancy Rodway is in charge of this phase ofthe testing. Letters were sent to the 402 original study participants asking them to agree to be tested again. Of this number, about 75% agreed to be re-tested.
One of the reasons for the second testing is to determine the effect of using bottled water on the C8 concentration in the blood. Dr. Emmett reported that 77.6% of the households in the Little Hocking Water Association district have taken advantage of the free bottled
water offered by the _HW A. We would like to determine if C8 levels are dropping at the same rate for all members of the surveyor whether there is a difference according to sex, age, height and weight. It has been determined previously that the amount of water needed by an individual is detef!Ilined by the surface area of the person; the C8 retained in the body is associated with the person's weight. In order to assure that all blood samples are tested in the same manner, they will all be tested at the same time. It is estimated that results will be available and will be mailed to participants by early March. Dave Freeman suggested that the information sent to participants should include their C8 levels at both testings and this was agreed to by Dr. Emmett.
Dr. Emmett expects to hold a public meeting, similar to the one at which we announced preliminary results in the late summer of 2005, when results of this testing are available, probably in the early summer of 2007.
Dr. Emmett said that, although the USEP A is interested in pursuing the fact that persons who consumed homegrown produce had higher C8 values, this will probably not be possible. Each fruit and vegetable would have a different testing method and this would be too costly to do.
The study of cancer in this area has begun. We have the cancer statistics for the area but have not yet been able to compare the type and rates of cancer in the LHWA district with those of Washington County as a whole and those of the 29 counties in Appalachian Ohio.
It was reported that Dr. Rodway has not had much success in obtaining breast milk samples, though she has volunteered to go to the homes to collect the samples. She has a few volunteers but as yet has obtained no actual samples.
Dr. Emmett announced that he is applying for another grant to continue the study, after the current grant expires in the summer of 2007. He anticipates that we should know by September whether we have this second grant. Members of the Community Advisory Committee were asked to consider whether they would be willing to continue as representatives of their townships or agencies if another grant is received. If received, this grant would allow study of the half-life of C8, and any differences in blood C8 when a filtration system is available for LHW A.
Sarah Wallace of the Ohio EP A announced that the USEP A and DuPont have reached a consent agreement whereby the allowable level of C8 in water was reduced from the previous 150 ppb to 0.5 ppb. This study's finding that the level ofC8 in the body is about 100 times that of C8 in the water had a major impact on the legal level being reduced. Sarah also said that there will be more testing of private wells, which will take. place in two phases. Phase 1 will include wells in Dunham, Decatur, Belpre, Troy (Athens County), and areas south ofrt. 550 in Barlow and Warren townships. Phase 2 will be activated if C8 levels are found that are higher than 0.5 ppb in the Phase 1 area.
Water filtration is in effect for the districts of Tuppers Plains, Pomeroy and Belpre. In the latter, there have been two changes of the charcoal filtering medium. There was a question about the disposal of contaminated charcoal. A call to a DuPont official after this meeting elicited the information that the charcoal is taken to Calgon in Pittsburgh and is incinerated there. Bids have been let for the filtration system for the LHW A and ground breaking is anticipated in February or March.
Dr. Emmett announced that he was asked to submit an article based on results of the survey for publication in the journal "Environmental Health Perspectives."
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee was set for Thursday, April 12.
Minutes of the September 7, 2006, meeting of the C8 Study Community Advisory Committee
The meeting was called to order and facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Also attending were:
Edward A. Emmett University of Pennsylvania
Nancy Rodway Adena Occupational Health Center
John Hannan Barlow Township
John Smith Belpre Township
Tom Neill Watertown Township
Molly Varner Wesley Township
Sidney Brackenridge Warren Local Schools
Sarah Wallace Ohio EPA
Ellen Mumma Decatur Community AssociationSarah Wallace reported that three of the four Ohio community water filtration systems are now working. The city of Belpre had a breakthrough of C8 in their system about five months after the initial filtration system was set up. The filter was changed at that time, as planned. Almost all of the filtration systems for private wells have also been installed. Bob Griffin of the Little Hocking Water Association reported that that are awaiting feedback from the EP A on location of the filtration system. In turn, the EP A is awaiting feedback from DuPont. After breaking ground for the Little Hocking filtration system, Mr. Griffin estimates that it will be about five or six months before the system is operational.
Dr. Emmett reported on other contaminants in the water which might have been incorporated into the blood of our sample members, including PFOS_ C5-C7, and C9
C 12. It seems that the numbers are about what is found in the general population and do not seem to raise concerns. Mr. Griffin asked about C4, but that has not been analyzed by our study.
Dr. Emmett reported that two papers, one on C8 exposure and blood levels, the other on health effects ofC8, were "fast-tracked" to publication in the August, 2006, edition of the peer-reviewed "Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine."
Dr. Emmett, Mary Dominiac of the USEPA, and Kathleen Meckstroth ofthe Washington County Health Department participated in the annual meeting of the Ohio Public Health Epidemiologists and presented our findings on C8 in the LHW A population.
Dr. Emmett restated our interest in the fact that respondents consuming higher amounts of homegrown produce displayed higher amounts of C8 in their blood. While our original grant will not cover the expenses of an investigation of these findings, it is possible that the EPA or FDA might be intereted in such a study.
Along with blood samples taken in 2004 and early 2005, we asked for samples of breast milk, to be analyzed for C8 content, and received only a few samples, which have not been analyzed. We are going to request more such donations and an analysis will be done on them.
Dr. Emmett briefly discussed information from the Ohio Cancer registry. We have received some data from them, allowing us to identifY cancer patients in this area, but we are awaiting additional data which will permit comparisons with the rates of those living within the LHW A area with those in Washington County as a whole and those in the 28 counties designated as Appalachian Ohio.
As soon as it can be organized, we will send out invitations for members of our original sample to participate in a follow-up study. The intention will be to study the effects that drinking bottled water has had on the individuals' blood C8. We hope that this will give an opportunity to study and to define more accurately the half-life of C8 in the blood. We also want to continue to study liver function and to try to identifY any possible problems brought about by bathing and showering in water which contains C8.
Nancy Rodway talked about a possible test of C8 in the blood of newborns, based on blood, which has been archived for four years, gathered fTom heel sticks of the babies. She would like, among other things, to correlate birth weight with the C8 levels.
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2007.
Minutes January 31, 2006, meeting Of the C8 Study Community Advisory Committee
The meeting was called to order and facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Those attending were:
Edward A. Emmett University of Pennsylvania
Hong Zhang Grand Central Family Medicine
David Freeman Decatur Community Association
John Hannan \f2\fs22 Barlow Township
John Smith Belpre Township
Bob Layfield Decatur Township
Larry Miskimins Fairfield Township
Tom Neill Watertown Township
Molly Varner Wesley Township
Sidney BrackenridgeWarren Local Schools
Steve Williams Ohio EPA
Kathleen Meckstroth Washington County Health Department
Mary Hufford University of Pennsylvania
Ellen Mumma Decatur Community Association
Dr. Emmett announced that he has submitted for publication a paper based on results of the study. The paper has not yet been accepted for publication. He also announced that he has been contacted twice by epidemiologists associated with the class action suit and they have expressed an interest in meeting with him.
Dr. Emmett also announced that there is an opportunity for the study to address and better define the half-life of C8 in the human body. A previous study had set the time of about four years for amount of C8 in the body to be reduced by half, but this was a very small study of 3M workers who had been heavily exposed to C8 in their workplace and were tested again after retirement. The small amount of data that we have been able to gather seems to indicate that the half-life might be shorter than this.
Bob Griffin of the Little Hocking Water Association reported that 70% of their customers are currently using the free bottled water available to those living in the district.
Dr. Emmett enumerated several aspects of C8 which he hopes to address in the future. The first was a study of the incidence of cancer in LHWSD when compared with that of Washington County as a whole and with statistics in the state of Ohio. He plans to meet with Robert Indian of the Cancer Registry later this week and discuss such a project.The subject of showering and bathing in water which contains C8 is also beingconsidered. There is a possibility that C8 can cross the skin barrier or that it can be breathed in the steam of hot water.Two samples of breast milk are available and they will be studied for the presence and level of C8. Our study has shown that the highest levels of C8 are found in small children and older adults. This may be partly a function of the fact that children require more water for their size than do adults.
Higher levels of C8 were found in the blood of those survey members who reported eating home-grown fruits and vegetables. Weare going to work with the EP A to determine whether the C8 is in the produce or in the methods or preparation. We also plan to test the C8 in some locally grown and canned produce.
Steve Williams of the Ohio EP A spoke about the progress of water treatment plants being built in six water districts. Those in Belpre and Pomeroy should be completed in about two weeks; Tuppers Plains should be completed by about the end of February. The Little Hocking treatment plant will probably not be completed before late summer, 2006. Steve mentioned that there are 58 private wells which have tested high enough in C8 to be eligible for filtration systems. Of these, 35 well owners have signed contracts to have private filtration systems installed.
Steve Williams also announced that the USEP A and DuPont have signed a Memo of Understanding which will result in the sampling and analysis of air, soil, grass and fish for C8 content. The Science Panel from the class action suit has met with Steve and Sarah Wallace and will review their files and perhaps make them available as a public data base. Steve also mentioned that the EP A may study the breakdown of materials such as carpet and fabric coatings over time, which may release C8.
A question was asked by a private citizen about testing of a private well. Bob Griffin said that he thought this was still possible and that Brookmar should be contacted.
Dr. Emmett mentioned that 40-50 blood samples have been sent to a federal lab to test for related chemicals with the shorthand names ofC9 - C14.
Mary Hufford told the committee that the National Institutes of Health, sponsor of the study, mandates that we do an evaluation of the public education aspects of the study and what the community understands as a result. A subcommittee of Dr. Hufford, Molly Varner, Dave Freeman and Ellen Mumma was set up to consider how to do such an evaluation.
Barbara Smith, an epidemiologist with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, attended the meeting. She is studying human health issues as related to chemical and hazardous substances. She is also interested in community education about such issues.
The meeting was adjourned after setting Thursday, May 4, as the date for our next "
Community Advisory Committee Minutes of September 27, 2005
The meeting was czlled to order and facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Committee members attending were:
Edward A. Emmett, M.D. -- University of Pennsylvania
Nancy Rodway, M.D. -- Local Health Practitioner
David Freeman -- Decatur Community Association
John Hannan -- Barlow Township
John Smith -- Belpre Township
Larry Miskimins -- Fairfield Township
Greg Nicholson -- Palmer Township
Greg Morris -- Watertown Township
Molly Varner -- Wesley Township
Sidney Brackenridge -- Warren Local Schools
Steve Williams -- Ohio EPA
Steve Williams of the Ohio EPA announced that the USEPA and DuPont are close to signing a Memo of Understanding which will result in sampling of soil, private wells, grass, air, fish and small mammals in the LHWA district to test for levels of C8. He also announced that the Ohio EPA is closely following plans to treat the public and private water systems in the area. The Tuppers Plains area will probably be the first public water system to have the new filtration system installed.Dave Freeman and Dr. Emmett briefly discussed the meeting that they and Dr. Hong Zhang attended in Talkeetna, Alaska, for all Community Based Participatory Research--Environmental Justice projects ongoing across the United States. Dave reported that the scientific basis of our study compared very favorably with other sponsored studies.
There was a brief discussion of community reaction to the August 15 public meeting, at which results were discussed. It was felt that the meeting was received quite positively, that Dr. Emmett provided facts in a manner which elicited a lot of good questions following the presentation. Dr. Emmett reiterated that the factors which were found in our survey to make the most difference in C8 levels were age, use of carbon filters in the individual's drinking water, whether home-grown produce was consumed and how much water was consumed. Length of time that the individual lived in the area was not found to be an important factor.
It has come to our attention that a few individuals who have had C8 results from our survey and the class action survey have had results which differ substantially, the latter survey being based on blood samples taken later than those for our survey and showing lower C8 values. So far as our doctors can determine, the analysis has been identical, so it may be that the half-life of C8 is shorter than previously thought. Apparently the figure of a four-year half-life was based on one survey of a small number of people who had worked with C8 in Minnesota. In order to study the length of C8's half-life in the body, we hope to retest members of our sample at least six months after they switch to bottled water or after the filtration system is in place for Little Hocking water. We also may be able to have those tested by both surveys volunteer to provide us with the results of their test by the class action survey so that we can make comparisons. The next newsletter will request such information from anyone who wishes to volunteer it.
In addition to reporting our own testing and asking for volunteered information from the class action testing, Dr. Emmett suggested that he would like to collect from our survey members information about their height and weight. He also suggested that he would like to do further testing on cholesterol and fat.
Until now we have only been able to find cancer statistics for the county as a whole, but we have found that Ohio State University has a cancer registry which records all cancer cases in the state by address. Access to this would allow us to locate cancer cases within the Little Hocking Water District.
We hope to follow up the fact that those consuming home-grown produce have higher C8 levels in our study. The USEPA is also interested in this finding. At this time we are not sure how levels of C8 are measured in fruits and vegetables but the technology should be possible.Dr. Emmett would like to study C8 as a factor in childhood development. The problem is that it is difficult to get blood samples from very young children and they are underrepresented in both studies.
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31, 2006, at the Decatur Community Building.
Community Advisory Committee Minutes of June 22, 2005
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and was facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Those attending were:
Edward Emmett -- University of Pennsylvania
Karen Stimpert -- representing Hong Zhang, local physician
Chintan Desai -- University of Pennsylvania
David Freeman -- Decatur Community Association
Jeff Headlee -- Barlow Township
John Smith -- Belpre Township
Robert Layfield-- Decatur Township
Ron Curry -- Dunham Township
Larry Miskimins -- Fairfield Township
Molly Varner -- Wesley Township
Sidney Brackenridge -- Warren Local Schools
Kathleen Meckstroth -- Washington County Health Department
Mary Dominiak -- United States EPA
Sarah Wallace -- Ohio EPA
Ellen Mumma -- Community CoordinatorMr. Freeman said that Dr. Mary Hufford of the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Ethnology had requested that the meeting be recorded. He asked if there were any objections and none were voiced. Introductions were made of all attending.
Dr. Emmett announced the the results of the C8 blood tests, which are now being conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, should be completed in one to two weeks. Letters will be prepared and sent out to each of the participants telling them their individual levels of C8 and a little aggregate data. It is anticipated that these letters will be put in the mail the week of July 11. Within a few weeks after these individuals receive their results, a general meeting will be held to inform community members of the results and allow them to ask questions.
Representatives of the federal and Ohio EPA reported on developments in their areas. Sarah Wallace of the Ohio EPA reported that upon agreement with the U.S. EPA the upcoming DuPont ECA (Enforceable Consent Agreement) will include additional C8 sampling in the Little Hocking area. The sampling will include fish, small mammals, air, groundwater, grass and soil from sites in Ohio and West Virginia. As a result of the class action settlement agreement, DuPont is in the process of installing treatment at the four affected public water systems in Ohio to remove C8 from the drinking water. Efforts are under way to have carbon treatment at Little Hocking Water Association, Tuppers Plains/Chester Water District, City of Belpre and Village of Pomeroy drinking water systems. DuPont is also working with some owners with known contamination in their private wells (if used for drinking purposes) to install treatment systems for C8 removal.
There was a major discussion of how and when information should be disseminated following release of results to individual sample participants. A list was made of individuals and agencies to whom such information should be sent and it was decided that a press release should be sent out three days after the letters are sent to the individuals.
It was decided to hold a public meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 15, in the auditorium of Warren High School. David Freeman will open with a welcome to the audience and a brief history of the project; Dr. Emmett will present the major part of the meeting and will take questions after his presentation. He will probably prepare a brief handout sheet for those attending. There will be a practice session for this public meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 14. All CAC members are encouraged to attend.
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee will be on Tuesday, September 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Decatur Community Building.
Community Advisory Committee Minutes March 9, 2005
The meeting was held at 7:00 p.m. at the Decatur Community Building, 6505 State Route 555, Cutler, Ohio. The following committee members were in attendance:
Edward Emmett University of Pennsylvania
David Freeman Decatur Community Association
Melissa Kelly Associate of Dr. Hong Zhang, local health care practitioner
University of Pennsylvania
Molly Varner Wesley Township
Sidney Brackenridge Warren School System
John Hannan Barlow Township
Larry Miskimins Fairfield Township
Steve Williams Ohio EPA
Ellen Mumma Community Coordinator
Belpre, Decatur, Dunham, Palmer and Troy townships were not represented at the meeting.
David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association called the meeting to order and announced that all sampling has been completed. At the last CAC meeting it was decided to accept about 50 volunteers. After this was announced in the newsletter, we had calls from about 120 people representing 68 households in the Little Hocking Water District Service Area. These households were put on an Excel spreadsheet and randomly sorted.
Dr. Emmett gave us a general update on the survey. Of the original randomly selected sample, blood samples were obtained from 342 individuals. This is a little less than 50% of those selected and that figure is consistent with similar studies carried out by the National Cancer Institute. Participation levels were somewhat higher among those living closer to the source of pollution. In addition, blood was drawn from 56 volunteers and samples of breast milk were obtained from three women.
The analysis of C8 in the blood is currently in progress at the University of Pennsylvania. Results are anticipated in the late spring and individuals will be notified by mail of their results at that time. Because both the local study of DuPont workers and an Italian study have shown some association of C8 and high cholesterol, we may test for cholesterol rates after doing other PFOA tests.
Steve Williams of the Ohio EPA announced that DuPont is currently collecting water samples from public and private wells and repeated samplings do, in some cases, show an increase in C8. The reason for this is unknown at this time. There was a general discussion of the carbon filtration system for public and private wells which will be installed by DuPont as part of the class action suit settlement. Steve also announced that it is anticipated that a contract will soon be signed by DuPont and the USEPA for multimedia sampling of air, soil, water, grass in order to obtain a better understanding of the transport system. Eight new monitoring wells will be put in at the Little Hocking well field.
Dave Freeman facilitated a discussion of how to distribute and publicize the results of the C8 analysis when they are obtained. There was agreement that individuals should receive their personal notices in advance of a general release of information, but shortly after that attempts should be made to distribute information widely. Suggestions made were major newspaper articles, a community meeting, a press conference, speaking to local clubs and service organizations, appearing on radio and TV, and use of our newsletter and website.
June 22 was chosen as the date of our next meeting.
Community Advisory Committee
January 14, 2004
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by David Freeman, representing the Decatur Community Association. Members of the committee introduced themselves and indicated the township or group that they were representing. Present were
David Freeman Decatur Community Association Ellen Mumma Decatur Community Association Dr. Ted Emmett University of Pennsylvania Dr. Hong Zhang Parkersburg HealthSouth John Smith Belpre Township :Robert Layfield Decatur Township Larry Miskimins Fairfield Township Donald Rauch Watertown Township Molly Varner Wesley Township Sidney Brackenridge Warren Local School District Kathleen Meckstroth Washington County Health Dept. After a brief overview of the study presented by Mr. Freeman, Dr. Edward Emmett of the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Hong Zhang of Parkersburg HealthSouth talked about more specific aspects of this independent scientific study. Funding for the study comes from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Because of the presence of C8 in the air and water of the Little Hocking Water district, a stratified random sample of about 400 of the 12,000 residents of the district will be drawn for the study.
Participation will be voluntary. The sample will be limited to those using water from the Little Hocking Water Association and those in the LHWA area using water from wells and cisterns. The dispersion of C8 by air will also be studied. A questionnaire is being developed at the University of Pennsylvania which will be administered to the sample members. Blood drawn from each member of the sample will be checked for thyroid hormone levels and for biomarkers indicating possible liver damage. In addition, the breast milk of a number of lactating mothers will be collected and analyzed. A Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health has been applied for and it is anticipated that it will be granted.Mr. Freeman led a discussion of the purposes of the Community Advisory Committee. The CAC will be involved in all stages of the study and will begin by reviewing the proposed questionnaire. It is important that members of the committee keep in touch with those they represent and make sure that the community is aware of study developments.
Dr. Emmett spoke briefly about the questionnaire. When a draft is available, it will be sent to all committee members. We are asked to review it and make any suggestions.
Community Advisory Committee meeting
July 21, 2004
David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Committee members introduced themselves, as did members of the public who were attending the meeting. Those attending were:Dr. Edward Emmett, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Hong Zhang, local physician
Chintan Desai, University of Pennsylvania
David Freeman, Decatur Community Association
Ellen Mumma, Community Coordinator
John Hannan, Barlow Township
John Smith, Belpre Township
Robert Layfield, Decatur Township
Molly Varner, Wesley Township
Sidney Brackenridge, Warren Local Schools
Sarah Wallace, Ohio EPADunham, Fairfield, Palmer, Watertown and Troy townships were not represented at the meeting.
Dave announced that 260 letters were mailed to residents of the Little Hocking Water Association Service District inviting members of those households to participate in the survey. To date 46 households, including 107 individuals, have been returned indicating that the persons wish to be part of the survey. Thirty envelopes were returned due to incorrect addresses and 16 were returned stating that the recipients were ineligible or not interested in participating. Follow-up telephone calls will be made by Dave Freeman and Ellen Mumma during the week of July 26.Dr. Ted Emmett described the questionnaire which will be administered to survey participants when blood samples are drawn. He stated that volunteers will be taken for the small sample of breast-feeding mothers. There is a possibility that area residents who were not chosen for the survey may be able to have their blood tested after the initial data have been collected. This is not yet a certainty and there is a possibility that, if we are able to do it, we may have to charge those being tested but not a part of the actual survey. Dr. Emmett said that testing of the blood will be done at the University of Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control.
Dr. Emmett responded to a question about sampling procedure to say that those close to the source of the C8 and those farther away had been sampled, with residents in the "grey area" between the two extremes being dropped from the sample.
Most or all of the drawing of blood samples will be done at the Grand Central Family Medical clinic, made available to the survey by Dr. Avery. In addition, it is possible that some sampling will be done at the Decatur Community Building. The sampling will begin on August 2.
Dr. Hong Zhang announced that she will send a letter to each member of the sample giving their individual results. She stressed that the results will not tell the health of the person tested but will simply give results of the tests made of their blood.A member of the public asked about studies cited in a recent letter from LHWA citing increased rates of testicular and breast cancer as a possible result of C8 contamination. Dr. Emmett said that his understanding was that these surveys involved animals, probably rats, and not human beings. C8 is persistent in the environment and human beings, its half-life being about four years.
Mary Dominiak, representative to this committee from the USEPA, was not present at the meeting but she did send a memo, some of which was read to the group by Dave Freeman. The gist of her message was that, though the federal EPA has announced that it plans to fine DuPont for emissions of C8, the fines will be levied due to incorrect record-keeping and reporting, not specifically because of any related health problems.
A question was raised about an ad in the local paper offering for sale a device said to remove C8 from the water. We were told that this is a distillation machine; however, DuPont has stated that distillation does not remove C8 from water. Sarah Wallace of the Ohio EPA said that she planned to bring this ad to the attention of the Ohio Attorney General’s office.
The next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee will be held on Wednesday, October 20, 2004, at the Decatur Community Building.
Community Advisory Committee meeting April 7, 2004
The meeting was called to order and facilitated by David Freeman of the Decatur Community Association. Those attending the meeting were:
Edward Emmett -- University of Pennsylvania
Hong Zhang -- local health care provider
David Freeman -- Decatur Community Association
Ellen Mumma -- Community Coordinator
Steve Williams -- Ohio EPA
Mary Dominiak -- U.S. EPA
John Hannan -- Barlow Township
John Smith -- Belpre Township
Robert Layfield -- Decatur Township
Larry Miskimins -- Fairfield Township
Sidney Brackenridge -- Warren Local SchoolsDr. Emmett gave a brief overview of the objectives of the study:
1. Are the levels of C8 in the LHWA district elevated over those of the general U.S. population?
2. If so, what is the nature of the source of this problem? (I.e., air, water, etc.)
3. If so, what biomarkers of effect are changed?
4. Is C8 present in the breast milk of nursing mothers and, if so, at what levels?After blood is drawn from the sample members, it will be transported to the University of Pennsylvania where the most advanced equipment is available to test for the presence of C8 in the blood. The University of Pennsylvania equipment can measure levels as small as 0.5 parts per billion (ppb) in the blood.
Dr. Emmett stated that air and water in the LHWA district will be analyzed for the presence of C8, but it is not anticipated that soil samples will provide worthwhile information.
A decision has still not been received from the Little Hocking Water Association as to whether this study will have access to their customer records. It is hoped that this will be resolved by the end of April.Steve Williams said that the Ohio EPA has contacted all households within a two-mile radius of the C8 source. Residents were asked if they had wells, cisterns or springs that they used as sources of potable water and the wells were tested for the presence of C8.
Dr. Zhang announced that blood will be drawn from members of the sample at the site of the PMC Building in Vienna and at the Decatur Community Building. Nurses associated with Dr. Avery will participate.
Dr. Emmett discussed briefly the Certificate of Confidentiality which was issued to cover all participants in the study. This is the highest degree of confidentiality that can be assured; it supercedes even court subpoenas.
Mary Dominiak told us that the U.S. EPA has been studying perfluorinated chemicals, a group including C8 (also referred to as PFOA) since 1999. The chemicals are persistent and produced an unexpected toxicity in animals. These chemicals attach to blood cells rather than, as is usually the case, to fat cells and are not expelled from the body by normal liver function. She stated that the EPA is especially interested in this study because information will be gathered about the lives of the individuals sampled. In the few other studies of C8 that exist, blood was taken from blood banks and no data were available on the donors.
The sample questionnaire, which will be administered to all survey members, was discussed and, at the suggestion of Ms. Dominiak, it was decided to delete the two product use questions because it was felt that they would not elicit usable information.
The new web site (www.LHWC8study.org) has been viewed by several of the committee members. It was suggested that a hit counter be added and also that minutes of the Community Advisory Committee meetings be posted.
The next meeting of the CAC will be on Wednesday, July 21, at 7:00 at the Decatur Community Building.
Links to other sites for further information on C8:
EPA PFOA Investigation Information