On July 30, 2012, an independent scientific panel created under a 2005 settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company for contamination of drinking water supplies in the Mid-Ohio Valley with PFOA (a/k/a "C-8") released final reports finding links between PFOA exposure and both thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis. The findings were the latest  in a series of reports released by the panel after considering data collected from about 70,000 Mid-Ohio Valley residents exposed to the chemical in their drinking water.  The findings follow earlier announcements by the panel of links between PFOA exposure and pregnancy-induced hypertension/preeclampsia, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer.  

Taft attorney Robert A. Bilott, partner in the Cincinnati office, represents the class of exposed residents. In practice since 1990, he is a member of the Environmental, Litigation, and Product Liability and Personal Injury groups.  Bilott commented, "We commend the science panel for their continuing hard work to resolve these very important and difficult scientific questions for the community."