DEQ-CFW_00078195

Michael S. Regan, Secretary
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Release: FdMEDIATE Contact: Jamie Kritzer; Chris Mackey
Date: June 13, 2017 Phone: [phone]
DEQ leading investigation of reports of unregulated chemical in Cape Fear River
RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is leading a state investigation into reports
of an unregulated chemical in the Cape Fear River.
With consultation from the state Department of Health and Human Services (DI-111S), staffs in DEQ are
investigating the reported presence of a compound known as GenX and the company, Chemours, that produces
the chemical for industrial processes at its facility in Fayetteville.
State environmental regulators will start collecting water samples from the Cape Fear River and will send those
to the nation's only laboratory capable of detecting GenX in water. After meeting with DEQ staff this week,
Chemours agreed to pay for the water collection and testing. Say something about will likely be 34 weeks
before results are received.
"We are seeking answers and solutions to a problem that has prompted understandable concern among people
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 Set -vices, 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 potential health risks of GertV'
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 20 1 _3 ) -2014 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 sole agency responsible for establishing drinking water standards, is working
to establish guidance on GenX that North Carolina and other states can use to develop regulations for the
chemical compound.
At the same time, DEQ staff are also pushing Chemours officials to limit the amount of GenX making its way
into the river. A Chemours official said during a meeting this week with state environmental regulators that
officials with the company were working to assess waste streams containing GenX and determine if the company
can reduce the amount of the chemical compound being discharged to the river.
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DEQ-CFW-00078195

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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 00078196