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DEQ, DHHS investigating reports of unregulated chemical in Cape Fear River +
DEQ, DHHS investigating reports of unregulated chemical in
Cape Fear River
Raleigh, NC
Jun 14, 2017
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is leading a state investigation regarding
reports of an unregulated chemical in the Cape Fear River.
DEQ staff, in consultation with state Department of Health and Human Services, are
investigating the presence of a compound known as GenX. DEQ is strongly encouraging
Chemours, the company that produces the chemical for industrial processes at its facility in
Fayetteville, to identify any measures that can be taken to reduce or eliminate the discharges
of the chemical to the river until the state completes its investigation. DEQ is also pushing the
Environmental Protection Agency to provide regulatory guidance on GenX.
Environmental regulators will collect water samples from the Cape Fear River and will send
those to a Laboratory capable of detecting GenX in water at low concentrations. The laboratory
has indicated that the materials the state is required to use for the water collection and
testing should arrive next week. DEQ staff are prepared to mobilize as soon as the sampling
materials arrive from the Lab. After meeting with DEQ staff this week, Chemours agreed to
bear all costs for the water collection and testing. The laboratory, which is in Colorado, has
indicated that the first test results will likely be available four weeks from when the samples
are received, but multiple rounds of testing and analysis will be necessary for a meaningful
evaluation of the water quality.
"We are seeking answers and solutions to a problem that has prompted understandable
concern among citizens who live and work in Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear region," said
Michael Regan, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Quality. "We are taking a
hard Look at the quality of the region's source of drinking water and all options we have to
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department has a history of close collaboration with DEQ to protect the health of North 2
Carolinians. We are working closely with DEQ to understand more about GenX and we will
keep people informed as we get more information."
Staff at DHHS also have initiated daily conference calls with local health departments in the
Lower Cape Fear region to share the latest information on this issue.
There are no U.S. regulatory guideline levels for GenX. However, based on available published
research, the levels of GenX that were detected in the Cape Fear River in 2013-14 would have
posed a minimal health risk. This is a relatively new chemical, and the health effects are not
fully understood at the current time.
"A sampling event from 2014 is the most recent data that shows GenX present in the Cape
Fear, which makes obtaining new data critical," Regan said.
More recent data will be available for analysis following the water sampling expected to get
underway in the coming days.
Leadership in DEQ have reached out to staff with the Environmental Protection Agency
seeking information about GenX.
The EPA, which is the lead agency responsible for establishing drinking water standards, is
working to establish guidance
on unregulated compounds such as GenX that North Carolina and other states can use to
develop potential regulations for the chemical compound.
DEQ staff are pushing Chemours officials to limit the amount of GenX making its way into the
river. A Chemours official told state environmental regulators this week that the company is
working to assess waste streams containing GenX and determine whether the company can
reduce the amount of GenX discharged to the river under current production levels.
DEQ and DHHS leadership plan to participate in a meeting in New Hanover County convened
by local officials on Thursday to establish the next steps in addressing this issue.
Representatives from Chemours are expected to attend the Thursday meeting.
http://deq.nc.gov/deq-dhhs-investigating-reports-unregulated-chemical-cape-fear-river
6/15/201'7
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Contact Information
Jamie Kritzer; Chris Mackey
919-707-8602; 919-855-4840
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