A study of rivers reveals that a man-made industrial surfactant is present in bodies of water all over the world.
The chemical of concern is known by the trade name C8. Scientists call it perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. It has been the subject of a class action lawsuit in the Mid-Ohio Valley brought against DuPont by residents whose drinking water was contaminated with the manufacturing substance because of industrial activity from DuPont Washington Works near Parkersburg, West Virginia. As the result of the class action, a group of independent epidemiologists studied the health of the impacted population and concluded that C8 was linked to pregnancy-induced hypertension, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and kidney and testicular cancer.
In most countries rivers are the source of tap water, according to the river study. And, contaminated tap water is one of the important pathways for human C8 exposure.
From 2004 to 2010, researchers surveyed rivers in 15 countries, including China, England, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. In all, 539 samples were collected from the rivers in 41 cities. A group of Japanese scientists from Kyoto University published their results in 2012 in the journal Water Science and Technology.
C8 was detected in all 41 cities – “not only in industrialized areas, but also in non-industrialized areas”. This lead researchers to conclude that C8 has a great capacity to travel long distances in the environment. Industrialized areas displayed the highest concentrations of C8 contamination and are some of the major sources of C8 contamination in rivers.
People in the Mid-Ohio Valley who have been drinking C8 contaminated water may be eligible for medical monitoring or personal injury claims.
Water districts found to be contaminated with C8 include Belpre, Tuppers Plains, Little Hocking and Pomeroy, Ohio and Lubeck and Mason County, West Virginia. Under the terms of the class action settlement agreement, the criteria for filing a personal injury claim is not based on an individual’s current place of residence. The class involves anyone who lived or worked within the contaminated water districts and consumed the water for a year or more prior to December 3, 2004.
To learn more about legal representation available to persons who believe they may have been affected by C8 contamination, please contact the Ohio law firm of Slater & Zurz LLP for a free consultation and find out if you have a claim involving C8 and your health by calling 1-888-534-4850 or visit their webpage at www.slaterzurz.com and fill out a FREE CASE REVIEW FORM located on the top right hand side of the page.
Slater & Zurz LLP has partnered with Marietta, Ohio attorney Ethan Vessels to represent people victimized by C8 on an individual basis, NOT as part of a class action lawsuit.
