PARKERSBURG - U.S. Rep. David McKinley wants more information about C8 and the way in which a new lifetime health advisory was determined.

"We're trying to get a hearing over the process in Washington," he said.

McKinley, R-W.Va., was in the area Monday to attend and speak at the Polymer Alliance Zone's annual meeting in Vienna. In an interview Monday afternoon, he said he would like to have a hearing before the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee, for which he serves as vice chairman.

McKinley said he is not disputing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's determination that 0.07 parts per billion in drinking water provides protection against the potential health effects of C8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or the related perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). But he does question the manner in which that number was reached and how it was disseminated to affected communities.

"This may have been putting unnecessary fear in people," McKinley said.

The lifetime health advisory was announced on May 19 and had the greatest effect locally on the City of Vienna and the Boaz community, which gets its water from Vienna. Most of Vienna's wells had consistently tested above 0.1 ppb in recent months, which was below the EPA's provisional health advisory of 0.4 ppb.

When the lifetime advisory - based on protecting breastfeeding infants and developing fetuses - was announced, it set off a flurry of activity as Vienna officials tried to provide residents and businesses with alternative water sources. Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp said recently he was only given about an hour's notice before the information was released to the public.

McKinley said it may not have been clear to people that the new level was a lifetime advisory, resulting in people thinking the water they had been drinking was less safe in a shorter timeframe. That created an additional burden on local government and businesses, he said.

"I want people to get out of Washington and just understand what you've done with this rule," McKinley said.

He also questioned whether there had been any public hearings prior to the advisory level being set. The EPA's fact sheet on the advisory - which is non-enforceable and non-regulatory - says the level was based on "the best available peer-reviewed studies of the effects of PFOA and PFOS on laboratory animals (rats and mice) and was also informed by epidemiological studies of human populations that have been exposed." It does not mention public hearings.

The studies considered indicate exposure to PFOA and PFOS may result in low birth weight, accelerated puberty, skeletal variations and other adverse health effects in developing fetuses and breastfeeding infants, as well as kidney and testicular cancer, liver effects, immune effects, thyroid effects and cholesterol changes.

C8 was used for years in the Teflon-manufacturing process at the Washington Works facility in Washington, W.Va. A class-action lawsuit over its presence in local water supplies through releases to air and water resulted in six water systems in the region being provided with activated carbon filtration systems by then-Washington Works owner DuPont.

DuPont spinoff Chemours now owns the facility and is paying for a carbon filtration system for Vienna. McKinley said his staff has been in contact with the company about "how we're going to deal with this down the road."

The congressman said the issue needs to be dealt with because it's casting a pall over the area in terms of economic development.

"This water problem is going to cause a stigma that's attached to Wood County, and we've got to get rid of it," he said.