Parkersburg, W.Va. (AP) -- Researchers studying the effect of a chemical used to make non-stick coatings can't find a causal link between it and an increased risk of gout and high blood pressure.
The C8 Science Panel announced Tuesday its study of 55,000 adults in the Mid-Ohio Valley found that higher levels of the chemical C8 was associated with higher levels of uric acid, a natural component of the blood.
The scientists couldn't determine which increase came first, the uric acid or the C8, so they couldn't draw conclusions about a causal relationship.
The panel is studying whether C8 can be linked to disease as part of a class action settlement with the Dupont Co., which uses the chemical at its Washington Works Plant.
(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
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