PARKERSBURG — Advisories encouraging screenings and participation in the C8 Medical Monitoring Program created through the lawsuits against DuPont have been issued prior to today’s airing of a documentary on C8 and the Mid-Ohio Valley on the National Geographic Channel.

The monitoring program was established in the 2005 settlement of the lawsuit against DuPont, which once used C8, also called PFOA, to make Teflon at the Washington Works plant in Wood County over the effect of C8 in the drinking water. The C8 Science panel found a probable link between C8 and six diseases in humans after studying the health data from more than 70,000 screened residents in the region.

The Medical Monitoring Program on Thursday issued a notice on its website only, said Jackie Sins, deputy director of the Medical Monitoring Program.

“The medical panel has recommended that even if you had normal screening tests three years ago, you should have follow up screening since little is known about how long the effects of exposure to PFOA last,” the advisory said.

Those notified of their eligibility as a class member and are entitled to medical monitoring, but have yet to be seen by a doctor, can contact the medical monitoring administrator to schedule an appointment with a participating physician for an initial screening. The phone number is 888 499-2553

“Even if you were previously told that you were eligible for medical monitoring, if you have been diagnosed with one or more of the probable link conditions included in the Medical Monitoring Program, you are no longer eligible for medical monitoring for that probable link condition,” the advisory said. “You are still eligible and may schedule medical monitoring for any probable link conditions for which you have not been diagnosed. For example, if you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may not receive medical monitoring for high cholesterol, but you may still schedule medical monitoring for the other Probable Link conditions.

Attorneys Rob Bilott, Ed Hill, Harry Deitzler and Larry Winter are encouraging eligible residents exposed to C8 to register for either an initial recommended medical screening or a recommended follow-up screening.

“As class counsel, we strongly encourage eligible residents to take full advantage of the free medical screening and testing being offered through the C8 Medical Monitoring Program, including free C8 blood testing and a free doctor’s visit, while those benefits are still available,” a release from the lawyers said.

The medical panel, comprised of three medical doctors, was to determine under the settlement what medical monitoring would be appropriate for people exposed to C8 in their drinking water based on the findings by the C8 Science Panel.

Medical testing will check for symptoms or early warning signs of kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension and high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), the six conditions found by the epidemiologists. Affected individuals are also entitled to a test to determine the level of C8 in their blood. Additional C8 medical monitoring details can be found at C-8MedicalMonitoringProgram.com.

Also issued was the Follow Up Screening Alert for those already screened through the program. Follow-up screenings should be performed every three years because “little is known about how long the effects of exposure to PFOA last,” the attorneys said.

For more information, go to C-8MedicalMonitoringProgram.com or call 1-888-499-2553.

The documentary “Parched: Toxic Waters” is the second of three documentaries in the “Parched” series that began on March 21, World Water Day. It airs at 10 p.m. today, according to the Nat Geo scshedule.

The final show is “Parched: Global Water Wars” on April 4. It is about a water mafia in India and how ISIS uses the limited water supply as a weapon.