Bladen County officials say they will test their wells for the chemical GenX. The county gets its water supply from wells, not the Cape Fear River, according to a statement from the Bladen County Water Department. Read the county’s statement in its entirety here.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are conducting a joint investigation into the dumping of GenX, which is unregulated by federal authorities, into the Cape Fear River. According to a release, authorities with the Department of Environmental Quality, said, “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.”
The Bladen County Water Department said as soon as the results for tests on their water are complete, the results will be made available to the public.
There are concerns with regards to GenX as it is know to cause kidney and testicular cancers as well as liver damage. A recent study performed on the Cape Fear River by NC State University professor Detlef Knappe and his research team found traces the toxin, called GenX, in the waters of the river from Fayetteville to Wilmington.
In an article published in the Environmental Science and Technology Letters, the data indicates the chemical GenX, which is a chemical replacement for a key ingredient in Teflon, was found in samples taken from various points along the Cape Fear River and located downstream from the Chemours Co. Fayetteville Works plant. The study was published in November 2016 and the sampling for the study was performed during a period from 2013-14.
Chemours released a statement saying that additional measures were taken in 2013 to reduce the presence of GenX in the Cape Fear River, including the use of new technology. The company did not specify what type of technology was being utilized.
The Department of Environmental Quality is urging Chemours officials to reduce the amount of GenX entering the Cape Fear River.
BladenOnline.com will have more on the test results of Bladen County’s wells as it becomes available.
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