Complete results of the largest-ever study of the chemical C8's possible health effects have been filed in court - and sealed from the public.

Wood Circuit Judge J.D. Beane sealed the C8 Health Project database to protect confidential information about nearly 70,000 residents who took part in the study.

The database includes millions of records reflecting C8 blood levels and dozens of pieces of demographic and health history information on each of the study participants.

Two versions of the database - one with identifying data for those taking part and one without that data - were sealed by the judge's 11-page order.

Eventually, results of various studies of the data will be made public.

But the raw data will be released only to expert researchers, and then only if they submit a formal request to convince Beane their study plans will protect residents' confidentiality.

"The entire database contains so many elements for each participant that unwanted intrusions, also called data snooping, are not fully preventable in a public-use file," the judge said in an order signed Friday.

"Therefore, data transfers will likely consist of a restricted-use data set limited to the specific interest of petitioning party and the specific purposes which the petitioning party articulates and which are approved under a data-use agreement."

The C8 Health Project is a multi-year effort to examine the chemical's possible effects on mid-Ohio Valley residents. It is funded by major portions of a $107.6 million settlement paid by DuPont to resolve a lawsuit alleging the company poisoned residents' drinking water with C8.

The settlement is also funding a related examination by a three-person science team of possible C8 links to adverse health effects.

Wood Circuit Judge J.D. Beane sealed the C8 Health Project database to protect confidential information about nearly 70,000 residents who took part in the study.

The database includes millions of records reflecting C8 blood levels and dozens of pieces of demographic and health history information on each of the study participants.

Two versions of the database - one with identifying data for those taking part and one without that data - were sealed by the judge's 11-page order.

Eventually, results of various studies of the data will be made public.

But the raw data will be released only to expert researchers, and then only if they submit a formal request to convince Beane their study plans will protect residents' confidentiality.

"The entire database contains so many elements for each participant that unwanted intrusions, also called data snooping, are not fully preventable in a public-use file," the judge said in an order signed Friday.

"Therefore, data transfers will likely consist of a restricted-use data set limited to the specific interest of petitioning party and the specific purposes which the petitioning party articulates and which are approved under a data-use agreement."

The C8 Health Project is a multi-year effort to examine the chemical's possible effects on mid-Ohio Valley residents. It is funded by major portions of a $107.6 million settlement paid by DuPont to resolve a lawsuit alleging the company poisoned residents' drinking water with C8.

The settlement is also funding a related examination by a three-person science team of possible C8 links to adverse health effects.

C8 is another name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA. DuPont has used the chemical since the 1950s at its Washington Works plant. C8 is a processing agent used to make Teflon and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant textiles.

Researchers are finding that people around the world have C8 in their blood in low levels. Evidence is mounting about the chemical's dangerous effects, but regulators have not set a federal standard for its safety.

West Virginia University researchers are already analyzing the C8 data, and have released demographic information and cumulative information about C8 levels in the blood of the study participants.

Two weeks ago, WVU also released some very preliminary findings that suggested that C8 may be associated with changes in liver, thyroid and immune function, as well as higher cholesterol levels in children.

The WVU release prompted a rare and terse news release from the C8 Science Panel, which said the university's preliminary statements "do not represent a thorough data analysis."

"Therefore, the C8 Science Panel does not believe they provide valid information regarding the presence or absence of association between C8 exposure and health outcomes," said the science panel statement.

The science panel noted that, under the lawsuit settlement, its charge is "to assess whether there is a probably link between C8 exposure to community residents and health effects."

"The Science Panel is the only entity that is charged by the court under the terms of the settlement with evaluating and reaching conclusions on this issue," the statement said.

To contact staff writer Ken Ward Jr., use e-mail or call 348-1702.