As part of a class-action lawsuit settlement, DuPont Co. agreed in February to pay for the screenings. Teflon can be found in clothing, cookware, car parts and flooring.
Tests will begin this month for residents who receive their water from six public water districts, or private wells within these districts, where concentrations of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, known as PFOA or C8, have been found.
The water supplies are near DuPont's Washington Works plant, along the Ohio River near Parkersburg; roughly 80,000 residents live in these districts. The hope is that at least 60,000 will participate in the tests.
Residents will receive $150 to answer a health questionnaire and an additional $250 if they agree to provide blood samples. Only those residents who received the water for at least a year before December 3, 2004 are eligible for the screening.
Blood samples will be subjected to a series of tests, which check for the presence of C8, organ function and cancer markers.
In 2001, the class action suit was filed against DuPont by residents alleging the company intentionally withheld and misrepresented information on the extent of the human health threat the levels of C8 in the water posed.
The long-term effects of C8 on humans are unknown.
A federal scientific review panel has said the chemical is "likely" to be carcinogenic to humans. DuPont officials dispute the claims, which prompted the review panel to agree to revise the draft to better reflect opposing viewpoints, before submitting it to the Environmental Protection Agency by July 20.
The goal is to complete the screening process within one year and turn results over to a court-appointed panel of three epidemiologists. Depending on results, DuPont may be required to spend an additional $235 million to monitor residents' health.
The class action also called for DuPont to provide the six water utilities with new treatment equipment, to help reduce the chemical in the water supply; an estimated cost of $10 million.
In a separate incident, DuPont has set aside $15 million in a settlement of prior EPA complaints citing the company failed to report information over twenty years on the potential environmental and human health risks of the C8-laced water.
In May, the company was served a subpoena, from a Washington, D.C. federal grand jury, requesting documents related to the chemical.
