"The evidence about the health effects of C8 are limited. There are some concerns about cancer and some concerns about reproductive effects," Steenland said. "There is some evidence it might have some effect on heart disease as well."
DuPont has said it will continue to use C8 because current technology requires the chemical. C8 is distilled out and is not present in Teflon or the other products it is used to produce, DuPont said.
Interest in the health survey is high because DuPont is one of the region's largest employers, with about 2,000 workers.
"In a small town like this, it's huge," said Belpre resident Lori Bradshaw. "When you've been in this area all of our lives, and to think something like this could be going on, and so many people could be affected, it's really scary."
Each person who completes the screening leaves with a $400 check, part of the $70 million that DuPont agreed to spend on the health analysis.
Bradshaw, 24, admits the money was an incentive for her and her husband to be screened. They haven't decided if their 4-year-old son will participate.
Each sample is tested for the presence of C8 and for organ function and cancer markers. The tests are confidential and do not look for HIV, drugs or sexually transmitted diseases.
Samples are sent daily to labs in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and thousands of results have already come back.
If C8 is found to cause problems, DuPont could be required to spend an additional $235 million to monitor residents' health over the long term.
For some, the testing may simply help answer questions. Chris Hendricks, a 22-year-old Marietta College student, wonders if contaminated drinking water contributed to his father's heart attack several years ago.
"It would be nice to know if that was the reason."
