DEQ-CFW_00022712

Michael S. Regan, Secretary
Release: FdMEDIATE Contact: Chris Mackey, Jamie Kritzer
Date: July 14, 2017 Phone: [phone]
After Cooper Administration and Chemours collaborate to stop GenX release, tests show a significant
decrease in heath risks
RALEIGH — State officials today released the first results of water quality samples for concentrations of GenX in the
Cape Fear River. After reviewing these results, the officials CONCLUDE
At the urging of state and local officials as well as concerned citizens, Chemours began diverting wastewater containing
the contaminant into storage tanks to be shipped out of state for disposal on June 21. Tests conducted over a ten-day period
beginning June 19 at sites from Fayetteville to Wilmington, show that concentration of GenX have significantly declined
since this diversion began.
Officials with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, conducted a health risk for consumers of the water and
FOUND xxxx. The results show that GenX levels were within the DHHS health risk goal at all but one facility tested.
While little is known about GenX, these data indicate that the preliminary DHHS assessment of a low public health risk
remains accurate. Today's decision was based on consultation with the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Ongoing discussions will apply guidance from leading federal researchers of emerging contaminants to help
state officials provide the public with the best information available on potential health risks posed by GenX.
The findings reflect water quality data from samples collected at 12 sites in the Fayetteville and Wilmington areas between
June 19 and June 29. Results show much lower concentrations of GenX than were found in previous tests
at both the public water supply systems near the facility and 70 miles downstream in the Wilmington area.
The chart below shows the results of the recent testing conducted by DEQ and analyzed at the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency lab in Research Triangle Park. It also shows the results of analysis conducted by Test America, a
certified lab in Colorado under contract with Chemours.
Results from all 12 test sites for the first two weeks of water sampling can be found on the N.C. Department of
Environmental Quality's GenX website: https:Hdeq.nc.gov/news/hot-topics/genx-investigation/genx-sampling-sites.
State officials caution against comparing raw and finished drinking water values from same -day samples, as water that has
completed a treatment cycle would have started the process with an earlier, and potentially different, exposure to GenX.
The results of more recent water samples collected in the Cape Fear will be released after DEQ and DHHS officials have
validated the data and conducted a health risk assessment. Officials have been collecting water samples at multiple
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locations in the Fayetteville and Wilmington areas each week since June 19 and will continue sampling until at least late
July. DEQ officials have extended the state's sampling regimen from three -to -six weeks to provide a more comprehensive
understanding of GenX concentrations in the lower Cape Fear River
Some local utilities and governments also are conducting independent water sampling. Since the protocols in place for
these samplings and related analysis are not consistent with rigorous DEQ and DHHS practices, they are not being factored
into the state's health risk assessment.
For the state process, water samples are collected by DEQ staff, which provides equal portions to TestAmerica and the
EPA lab. Staff at each lab test samples for the presence of GenX, then send reports to DEQ for quality assurance and
quality control review to ensure accuracy. These vetted results are then provided to DHHS, which performs a health risk
analysis.
State officials have developed frequently asked questions about the health information related to GenX. It can be found at:
XXXX.
444
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1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 RSS feed: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/opa/news-releases-
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An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
DEQ-CFW 00022713