First results of the new research program in C8 and human health will be available early next year, according to two members of the C8 Science Panel, independent epidemiologists chosen by the parties to the C8 class action settlement to investigate possible associations between C8 and human disease. Dr. Kyle Steenland and Dr. Tony Fletcher were in Parkersburg, WV on Tuesday, November 14 to announce the beginning of their research and explain the various studies they will be conducting.
They have also met recently with several area residents. Steenland said, “We want to establish relationships that will help us with our work, and help keep the community involved and informed.”
They also announced they are looking for more participants for their follow-up research. Area residents who participated in the Brookmar C8 Health Project, and did not sign consent forms allowing the science panel to contact them in the future, are asked to download those forms from the website, www.c8sciencepanel.org [click here], or pick one up at many local libraries and Par Mar stores. These should be returned to the Science Panel as soon as possible.
Steenland and Fletcher described their work as “the most comprehensive study of C8 and human health ever done.” They plan to conduct ten separate studies, calling them important pieces of the overall picture that will help determine whether C8 is associated with human health problems. Eight studies will focus on diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and aneurysm, immune function, liver and hormone disorders, and birth outcomes. Two studies will examine C8 exposure. The results of each study will be announced as each project is completed. The final results, incorporating the findings of all studies, are expected in 4-5 years.
Science panel members include: Dr. Tony Fletcher, environmental epidemiologist at the London School and Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Dr. Nelson Kyle Steenland, Professor at the School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; and Dr. David Savitz, Professor of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Savitz was unable to attend the news conference.
Complete details of each study, including a timeline of when results will be announced, are available here.
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