DEQ-CFW_00078246

Michael S. Regan, Secretary
Release: FdMEDIATE Contact: Jamie Kritzer; Chris Mackey
Date: June 14, 2017 Phone: [phone]
RALEIGH —The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is leading a state investigation regarding reports of an
unregulated chemical in the Cape Fear River.
Staff in DEQ, 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 the discharges of the chemical
to the river until the state completes its investigation.
State environmental regulators will collect water samples from the Cape Fear River in the coming days and will send those
to a laboratory capable of detecting GenX in water at low concentrations. DEQ staff are prepared to mobilize as soon as the
sample materials arrive from the lab. After In meeting with DEQ staff this week, Chemours agreed to bear all costs for the
water collection and testing. It will likely be between two and four weeks before results are received.
"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 pushing the
company to find ways to limit how much of this chemical makes its way to the river."
Mandy Cohen, the secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said: "The department has a history of
close collaboration with DEQ to protect the health of North Carolinians. We are working closely with DEQ to understand
and communicate the potential health risks of GenX"
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. drinking water 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 are below the levels that would cause health
problems. This is a relatively new chemical, and the health effects are not fully understood at the current time.
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.
More woont current data will be available for analysis following the water sampling underway in the coming days.
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.
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DEQ-CFW 00078246

DEQ and DHHS leadership plan to participate in a meeting with local officials on Thursday to establish the next steps in
addressing this issue.
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncdenr
1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 RSS feed: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/opa/news-releases-
rss
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NCDENR
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
DEQ-CFW 00078247