CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Three new reports on the health effects of a chemical used at a DuPont plantshow mixed results.
The C8 Science Panel filed reports Tuesday in Wood County Circuit Court. Its work is part of a class-action settlement over releases from the Washington Works plant near Parkersburg.
It says plant workers who were heavily exposed to C8 had higher death rates from kidney cancer, other kidney diseases and mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
But overall, their death rate was 30 percent lower than the U.S. population.
A liver function study shows one of three enzyme markers was elevated, indicating possible damage. But the panel cautions against linking that to C8.
The third report finds a small but clear connection between C8 and preeclampsia in pregnant women.
