OHIO VALLEY PRODUCE LINKED TO C-8 PRESENCE

(03/02/2007)
Some of the first results of one of the biggest research projects undertaken in the Mid-Ohio Valley have been released.

Tens of thousands of area residences have been tested for possible effects of C-8, a chemical produced by Wood County's DuPont Works.

A researcher says eating large amounts of locally grown produce is among the factors that caused higher levels of a chemical used to make Teflon in the blood of residents living in a nearby Ohio water district.

Some of the residents participating in a study to measure levels of the chemical live in Washington County, Ohio.

Doctor Edward Emmett of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine says the first round of research indicated people who ate more garden vegetables or fruits had elevated levels of C-8 in their blood.

Emmett says other factors had a greater impact, especially the amount of water consumed and the subject's age.

DuPont has been sued after the chemical was found in area water.

They claim the product has not caused health hazards.