Wilmington (Del.) News Journal  [Printer-friendly version]
August 23, 2007

RESEARCH ADDS TO DATA ON DUPONT PRODUCTS

[Rachel's introduction: Chemicals used in stick-and stain-resistant
products are reaching children in the womb and may be tied to "small
decreases" in the size and weight of newborns, two studies by Johns
Hopkins University researchers indicate.]

By Jeff Montgomery, The News Journal

Chemicals used in stick- and stain-resistant products are reaching
children in the womb and may be tied to "small decreases" in the size
and weight of newborns, two studies by Johns Hopkins University
researchers indicate.

The findings from the University's School of Public Health are the
latest in a growing wave of scientific investigations, triggered by
concern over the discovery that perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS,
and perfluorooctanoate acids, called PFOA, are present in human and
animal blood around the globe.

Both chemicals are used in or associated with production of thousands
of consumer products, from nonstick cookware to carpets, food
wrapping, clothing and electrical equipment. The DuPont Co. is a
global leader in use and development of the materials, with production
sites in Deepwater, N.J., and elsewhere around the country under close
scrutiny or targeted in lawsuits.

In the most recent Johns Hopkins study, released last week, scientists
found that PFOA and PFOS levels in umbilical cord blood were
associated with small decreases in head size and body weight in a
study of 300 samples.

"These small, but significant, differences in head circumference and
body weight provide the first evidence for a possible association
between exposures to PFOS and PFOA and fetal growth," wrote Benjamin
Apelberg, lead author of the study and a research associate in the
Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology.

A recent study of newborns in Denmark found similar results for PFOA,
but not PFOS, said Lynn R. Goldman, a study co-author.

"It's very unfortunate, because one of the most cherished members of
any family is a newborn," said Harry Dietzler, an attorney who
represented residents in a class-action lawsuit focused on drinking
water contamination by a DuPont plant that uses C8, or PFOA. DuPont
settled the case with an agreement that included hundreds of millions
of dollars for health studies and monitoring.

There are no known health effects from PFOA, and "this study does not
change our position," said Dupont spokesman Dan Turner.

The Johns Hopkins researchers acknowledged possible limitations on the
conclusions that could be drawn from the study.

Another study published by the American College of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine found links between PFOA and PFOS in the blood
and levels of cholesterol and some liver enzymes.

An EPA advisory panel has tentatively labeled PFOA a "probable"
cancer-causing agent.

Still to come are findings based on health screenings from tens of
thousands of West Virginia and Ohio residents, produced as part of a
class-action lawsuit settlement against DuPont.

Meanwhile, New Jersey recently directed DuPont to study groundwater
contamination around its Chambers Works Plant, near the foot of the
Delaware Memorial Bridge in Deepwater, N.J.

"This stuff needs to be banned now," said Tracy Carluccio, with the
Delaware Riverkeeper Network conservation group. "The Johns Hopkins
report is very troubling."

Contact Jeff Montgomery at 678-4277 or jmontgomery@delawareonline.com.

Copyright 2007, The News Journal.