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DuPont Co. agreed in February to pay for screenings to determine if tens of thousands of Ohio and West Virginia residents’ health has been compromised because of affected drinking water containing the chemical used to make the nonstick substance Teflon. In order to settle the class action lawsuit, tests will go underway this month for residents who receive their drinking water from six public water districts, or from private wells within the districts, where concentrations of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, known as PFOA and C8, have been found.

Teflon is one of DuPont’s most popular products, and the water supplies are located near the company’s plant, along the Ohio River. About 80,000 residents live in the districts, and residents who received the water for at least a year before December 3, 2004 will be eligible. Participating residents will receive $150 to answer a health questionnaire, and if they agree to submit a blood sample, they will receive an additional $250. It is hoped at least 60,000 will participate in the screenings in order to get the most valid data possible.

Each of the blood samples will be subjected to 51 tests, some of which will check for the presence of C8, organ function and cancer markers. Residents have alleged DuPont intentionally withheld and misrepresented information regarding the nature and extent of the human health threat C8 presents when in drinking water. As a result, the 2001 lawsuit was filed, and about $70 million has been allocated for resident payments and lab work.

In a federal scientific review panel the chemical was called “likely” to be a human carcinogen, but the panel agreed earlier this week to revise the draft to more accurately portray opposing views prior to submitting it to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by July 20. C8’s long-term effect on humans has never been fully understood, though it has been used since World War II.

Depending on what the screenings reveal will determine what the next course of action will be. Should no link be discovered, DuPont will no longer have to deal with the allegations, but if connections are made, DuPont could end up spending another $235 million to monitor residents’ health. The settlement required the company to provide the six water utilities with new treatment equipment to reduce the chemical in water supplies, costing DuPont $10 million.