Order expands required C8 testing area

PARKERSBURG — Testing of public and private water wells for C8 in an expanded geographic area got under way even before an amended order between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and DuPont and Chemours was finalized, EPA officials said.

The expanded area follows Interstate 77 from southern Wood County north into Washington County just past Devola, along with a separate portion in Athens County. Public water supplies in the new area include Parkersburg, Williamstown and Marietta, which have been tested.

Results from the Putnam Community Water Association in Devola are pending, and testing of private wells is ongoing.

C8, also known as perflurooctanoic acid or PFOA, was used for decades in the Teflon-manufacturing process at DuPont’s Washington Works in southern Wood County. A science panel created in the settlement of a class-action lawsuit over the presence of the chemical in water found a link between exposure to C8 and kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy induced hypertension including preeclampsia and hypercholesterolemia.

Read more: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2017/02/order-expands-required-c8-testing-area/