DEQ investigating spike in GenX near chemical plant
Posted 6:24 p.m. today
Updated 6:40 p.m. today
Fayetteville, N.C. — State environmental officials are trying to figure out what caused a recent spike in GenX levels near the Bladen County plant where the chemical is produced.
Tests by Chemours in mid-December found levels of GenX nearly 20 times higher than the state's health limit of 140 parts per trillion in a water outflow near the company's Fayetteville Works plant.
GenX is an unregulated chemical used in the production of Teflon and other products. Although it's related to compounds known to cause cancer, the health effects of long-term exposure to GenX aren't known.
Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Laura Leonard said Thursday that Chemours is complying with state orders to stop releasing wastewater from its GenX production into the Cape Fear River. Officials haven't determined the reason for the spike, but Leonard said it's possible that rain in December washed the contaminant into the drainage area.
From there, the GenX in the runoff could possibly find its way into groundwater. DEQ has already ordered Chemours to supply bottled water to dozens of homes near the plant that rely on wells for drinking water after elevated levels of GenX were found in groundwater.
Cassie Gavin, director of government relations for the North Carolina Sierra Club, said GenX and other emerging contaminants are a problem the state will be dealing with for a long time.
"I think we're going to continue to see these problems over and over again, and that's why the state really needs to have a concerted effort to deal with it going forward, to deal with emerging contaminants like GenX and like other chemicals," Gavin said.
The recent spike is the latest indication that state lawmakers need to restore some of the staff cuts made to DEQ, she said.
State House lawmakers unanimously passed a measure three weeks ago to give DEQ $2.9 million in additional funding to respond to GenX contamination, but Senate leaders have so far refused to consider it, saying they believe DEQ can handle the issue with current resources.
"We would really like to see the Senate take that up so that DEQ can have a little more funding to deal with these things," Gavin said.
People who live near the Chemours plant can get more information about GenX in the Cape Fear River during a community meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Bladen Community College Auditorium in Dublin.