The Film. Dark Waters is about attorney Robert Billott’s real-life 20 year legal battle against DuPont chemical for releasing toxic waste – perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA – into Parkersburg, West Virginia’s water supply, with devastating health effects on the towns people and livestock. PFOA, also known as C8, is a man-made chemical. It is used in the process of making Teflon and similar chemicals known as fluorotelomers.
Vitek Implants. In the 1970s, Vitek Inc. created Teflon sheeting using DuPont’s TeflonFEP film, laminated to a porous composite material made from polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE). These implants, usually no larger than a thumbnail, were manufactured individually or custom cut from sheets in the operating room by the surgeon and then sutured to the TMJ fossa or condyle. Unfortunately, no clinical research has been conducted to date on TMJ implant patients who received the Vitek devices to assess the relationship between the material and the many devastating health effects that have resulted in the death of patients and caused continued suffering in others.
Attorney Robert Billott. Co-Founder and President, Terrie Cowley contacted Mr. Robert Billott after reading an article in the NY Times on this issue. Mr. Billott thanked her forreaching out to him and sending information on the Vitek implants. He said he was generally familiar with the issue, but was not aware of the extent of the patient’s battle with these devices.If you are Vitek implant patient you’ll no doubt find this film interesting.
Additional Resources.
- Orthopedic Network News, April 1995
- MedPage Today article on Dark Waters
- TMJ Association website information on the Vitek device
- Cancer.org -Teflon and PFOA