Damning blood test results for DuPont plant neighbors

The first blood tests on two people living near the DuPont factory in Dordrecht showed that the concentration of toxic chemical C8 in their blood is much higher than the government expected, newspaper AD, who had the blood tests done, reports.

The first blood tests were done on Jan and Ineke, a couple whose been living next to the plant for 32 years. The high concentration of C8 - a toxic substance used to produce Teflon, banned after being classified as very dangerous in 2012 - means that the two and thousands of other residents in the area face significant health risks due to the factory's emissions.

The RIVM believes that the local residents was exposed to too high levels of this toxic substance for years. In the worst case scenario, 25 years. "With such chronic exposure health effects, such as on the liver, can not be ruled out", according to the RIVM. There is also  "limited" risk of cancer.

The RIVM called for an extensive investigation. Blood tests can reveal how much C8 the local residents still have in their systems. On Thursday State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment is expected to announce that the investigation will take place.

The Social Affairs Inspectorate is already performing a similar investigation among DuPont employees.