Chemours Must Take More Action to Address GenX, PFAS Contamination, State DEQ Officials Say

By Steve DeVane | The Fayetteville Observer | November 4, 2021

Read the full article by Steve DeVane (The Fayetteville Observer)

“State regulators are requiring a chemical company to take additional steps to address contamination originating from a Bladen County plant.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday that Chemours will have to take two further actions to address the GenX and PFAS contamination, according to a statement released by the department Wednesday. The company’s Fayetteville Works facility is just off N.C. 87 near the Cumberland County line.

State officials have been investigating Chemours since 2017, when the Wilmington Star-News reported that researchers had discovered GenX and similar compounds in the Cape Fear River, downstream from the Bladen County plant. The company agreed to a consent order that requires it to drastically reduce the amount of GenX it is emitting into the air and take other action regarding the contamination.

The state is requiring Chemours to review existing well sampling results from the area around the plant, according to the DEQ statement. The review will determine if more residents are eligible for equipment to filter all the water going into their houses in light of the Environmental Protection Agency’s revised toxicity assessment for GenX, it said.

The EPA’s assessment showed that GenX is more toxic than previously believed.

Chemours also has been advised that the EPA plans to release a federal drinking water health advisory level for GenX in the coming months, the DEQ statement said.

The consent order requires Chemours to provide permanent replacement of drinking water to residences with wells where test results show detections of GenX above 140 parts per trillion ‘or any applicable health advisory, whichever is lower,’ the statement said.

The EPA’s health advisory level is likely to be lower, it said.

A statement released by a Chemours spokeswoman Wednesday said the company considers itself to be part of the solution to addressing PFAS contamination in North Carolina. Company officials will continue working with DEQ to address PFAS found in the environment related to the Bladen County plant, it said.

Chemours officials have worked closely with DEQ on implementing programs, including private well sampling, as part of the consent order, the statement said.

‘We are continuing to review the NCDEQ correspondence we just received and will follow-up with the agency for further clarification of their correspondence,’ it said.

DEQ also is requiring Chemours to ‘assess the extent of contamination in downstream communities to include well sampling and provision of replacement drinking water supplies,’ according to the statement.”…

This content provided by the PFAS Project.