DEQ-CFW_00078265

Michael S. Regan, Secretary
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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.
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.
State 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.
`AXc 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 limit or eliminate 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. 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.
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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.
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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 00078266