For more than half a century, the chemical company DuPont provided jobs for thousands of people along the Ohio River. One chemical they produced is , commonly known as C8. It was a remarkably useful compound鈥攗sed in 鈥淭eflon鈥� non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics and even some food wrappers.

But over time, researchers have found that C8 is also toxic. DuPont and other companies phased out U.S. production a few years ago. .

But because the chemical can persist in water, communities along the Ohio River鈥攁nd around the U.S.鈥攁re still grappling with the environmental fallout of contamination from C8 and similar chemicals. Using water testing data available from the U.S. EPA, the Ohio Valley ReSource found 12 water systems in 10 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia where these chemicals were detected in the water.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a this year for C8 levels in drinking water, and many of the water systems that detected C8 and related chemicals found them at levels lower than the EPA advisory. However, a growing body of science indicates that the EPA advisory level is not sufficiently protective of human health, and many researchers recommend far more restrictive thresholds for exposure.

Communities across the country are dealing with levels of contamination well above the EPA鈥檚 new advisory level. One community especially affected by this toxic legacy is Vienna, West Virginia.

Vienna, West Virginia

This summer, cars lined up in Vienna鈥攁 town of about 10,000 situated along the Ohio River. People were picking up jugs and cases of bottled water. Their tap water had been deemed unsafe鈥攍aced with a chemical known as C8. There wasn鈥檛 some sudden chemical spill. The chemical company DuPont polluted water here over the course of decades. But the federal government says C8 levels it once overlooked in the water are now considered unsafe.

鈥淯p until the EPA lowered the standard, it really wasn鈥檛 an issue for us,鈥� said Vienna mayor, Randy Rapp. 鈥淥nce they lowered the standard, then it became a problem.鈥�

Rapp was talking about a new health advisory issued by the Environmental Protection Agency this year. It says C8 levels in his and other community鈥檚 drinking water are too high.

This problem isn鈥檛 new to the people we spoke with in line. They鈥檝e heard about C8 contamination by Dupont for years. But for generations, the chemical company has been the biggest employer around Vienna. Many people, like resident Charles Swisher, are quick to defend them.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not fair to isolate DuPont,鈥� Swisher said. 鈥淎 lot of people did things back a few years ago that were unethical, unhealthy. The thing that we need to do now is to be more solution-oriented.鈥�

DuPont isn鈥檛 in charge of those solutions. It created a spin-off company, Chemours, which inherited this environmental legacy.

In response to the EPA鈥檚 C8 advisory, Chemours is paying for installation, maintenance and monitoring of giant carbon filters. (Think of your home water filter, but on a huge scale.) Vienna Mayor Rapp says he has 鈥渘o idea鈥� how much cleanup is costing. Chemours also wouldn鈥檛 say. But according to the company鈥檚 public documents, cleanup has already cost millions. And still, the water aquifer is expected to be contaminated with C8 for hundreds of years.

Contamination Continues

Not everyone is defending the company. Larry Dale grew up around this part of the Ohio River, which is commonly referred to as 鈥淐hemical Valley.鈥� His father and uncles all worked in chemical plants.

鈥淢y dad told me鈥攁nd I鈥檒l never forget this鈥斺€橣ind something else to do, but don鈥檛 work in a chemical plant,鈥欌€� Dale said.

Dale listened. He鈥檚 a school bus driver and a retired preacher. But he and his family still live in the shadow of the chemical industry.

In his rural back yard outside of Washington, West Virginia, Dale stands on top of a hill next to his greenhouse and points to the next ridge over鈥攁t DuPont鈥檚 landfill. This is where DuPont dumped over 7,000 tons of C8 sludge. It leached out, polluted streams and killed nearby livestock in the late 1990s. It鈥檚 not the only source of contamination. If you ask anyone where the C8 comes from today that has infiltrated the water aquifer, the answer is always the same: 鈥淓verywhere.鈥�

Where Science Meets Policy

The contamination in this region eventually led to a broad medical of affected residents in the early 2000s. Over 30,000 community members were involved. The study linked C8 to health problems ranging from cancer to reduced immune function. A series of additional health studies followed, further proving that chemical compounds like C8鈥攚hich used to be blown out of smokestacks and scattered across the Ohio Valley鈥攁re dangerous, even in small doses.

鈥淭hey stay in the body for a long time,鈥� said Dr. Philippe Grandjean of Harvard鈥檚 School of Public Health. He鈥檚 an expert on health effects of perfluorinated chemicals like C8. One of his looks at long-term effects of these chemicals on the immune systems of exposed children.

鈥淲hile they harm the immune system today, they probably also will down the road. And that鈥檚 exactly what we found,鈥� Grandjean said. Specifically, Grandjean found vaccines don鈥檛 work as well in children exposed to C8 at levels similar to those found throughout the U.S.

Between 1951 and 2003, the Dupont plant in Washington Works, West Virginia released more than 1.7 million pounds of C8 into the environment, according to a 2004 study by ChemRisk Inc., an industry risk assessor hired by DuPont.

EPA officials say the C8 advisory levels were calculated to protect fetuses during pregnancy and breastfed infants, and was based on 鈥渢he best available peer-reviewed studies.鈥� But Grandjean says the EPA鈥檚 advisory doesn鈥檛 go far enough. He worries it could even create a false sense of security.

鈥淭he new water limits will essentially maintain status quo or鈥攊f worse comes to worse鈥攁ctually increase levels that are typical for Americans,鈥� he said. 鈥淢any Americans are likely to increase their body burden.鈥�

Last year, a coalition of scientists from around the world on C8 production altogether. Health officials in New Jersey are that C8 levels should be five times lower than what EPA advises (about 14 parts per trillion). Grandjean鈥檚 work and other scientific studies have recommended an acceptable level of one part per trillion, which is what the European Union recommends for surface water.

Different Communities, Different Responses

When the EPA issued its advisory level, it triggered a range of responses from affected communities. For water systems like Vienna鈥檚, where the levels were above the EPA threshold, action was required.

The city of Martinsburg, in West Virginia鈥檚 eastern panhandle, shut down one water-filtration plant in May after detecting high levels of PFOS. PFOS is a chemical related to C8 that was found in flame-retardant foams often used at military bases and airports. Martinsburg is home to an Air Force base, which is investigating possible sources of pollution.

Many other water systems, however, detected PFAS chemicals at levels that fall somewhere in a range below EPA鈥檚 health advisory but well above what scientists such as Grandjean have recommended. These communities include Louisville and part of Pendleton County, in Kentucky; Gallia County, Ohio; and Parkersburg, West Virginia.

In Vienna, Mayor Randy Rapp just wants to get the city鈥檚 water to the EPA鈥檚 acceptable level.

鈥淚 just try to live by whatever the rules are,鈥� Rapp said. 鈥淲hen they tell us what our water quality has to be, that is what we attain.鈥�

Meanwhile, DuPont鈥檚 spin-off company isn鈥檛 producing C8 anymore. However, the substitute for C8 includes of the chemical known to have the potential for many of the .

This story is by  as a part of its , which explores the environmental and economic importance of the Ohio River. Headwaters is funded by the Benedum Foundation and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, and is produced in collaboration with .