Toxic PFAS detected in groundwater around NC landfills

WRAL News | May 7, 2025

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"New data from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality shows PFAS “forever chemicals” are turning up in groundwater around landfills across the state, sometimes at levels thousands of times higher than the federal drinking water limit.

“There are some high observations,” said Adam Ulishney, deputy director with the Division of Waste Management, during a presentation to the state’s Environmental Management Commission on Tuesday. 

Landfills in every corner of the state were required to test their groundwater for a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These chemicals are found in nonstick pans, fast food wrappers, firefighting foam and other products. They don’t easily break down in the environment or the human body and have been linked to adverse health impacts."

Location:

• North AmericaUS
• North AmericaUSNorth Carolina

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• Environment
• Wildlife
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses