Ohio Jury to Decide Suit Over Chemical DuPont Put in Water

Jurors are deliberating in the federal case of an Ohio woman who says she got cancer after drinking water contaminated by a chemical from a DuPont plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia.

It’s one of two test cases that could influence thousands of similar lawsuits about the chemical giant’s discharging of C8 into the Ohio River and drinking water.

The Columbus Dispatch reports jurors heard closing arguments Tuesday.

Attorneys for Guysville resident Carla Bartlett argue Delaware-based DuPont long knew about C8 risks but downplayed or hid that from the public. They say DuPont tested the blood of employees who worked with C8.

DuPont attorney Damon Mace told jurors that workers drank the same water as residents. He says: “Just because C8 is capable of causing cancer doesn’t mean it did.”