RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is asking for the public's input on PFAS, sometimes called "forever chemicals."
PFAS are known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The toxic chemicals are used in products like nonstick pans, food packaging, clothing, furniture and medical equipment.
What You Need To Know
DEQ's Division of Water Resources is holding public hearings through June 23
It is accepting comments about a proposed groundwater treatment system at the Chemours Fayetteville Works facility
It would reduce the amount of PFAS entering the Cape Fear River Basin via contaminated groundwater
Chemours was found to be dumping GenX and other chemicals in the Cape Fear River in 2017
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new drinking water health advisory. It says two of the chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) can cause negative health effects even when the amount in drinking water is close to zero.
The announcement comes as DEQ's Division of Water Resources is talking about a proposed groundwater treatment system at the Chemours Fayetteville Works facility.
The facility was found dumping GenX and other chemicals in the Cape Fear River in 2017. The company has since taken steps to improve water quality, but it won't fix what has already been done.
“Once these chemicals are already released in the river ... there's really no getting them back, and so that damage is basically done," said N.C. State research scholar James Dodds, who has been studying PFAS since 2018.
The proposed water treatment system would require Chemours to remove at least 99% of PFAS from the contaminated groundwater before discharging it. But Dodds says that doesn't completely eliminate the problem.
"If a deer goes to the Cape Fear River and starts drinking the water, they don't have a reverse osmosis filter or something like that to clean up their water," Dodds said. "And then when you go out and you hunt and you take that deer down and you eat it ... you're consuming PFAS. And the question is, how much are you consuming and is that safe?”
It's why researchers like Dodds are looking into how PFAS impact different parts of our environment. They study everything from water, to pine needles and fish.
“PFAS are man-made chemicals mostly related to Teflon ... So any nonstick pans you have in your house, those are basically made of PFAS," Dodds said. "Ultimately those pans have to go somewhere when they are done in use and that ends up in a landfill where those chemicals basically wash off into the environment in our streams rivers and lakes.”
Right now, contaminated groundwater flowing into the Cape Fear River is not intercepted or treated by Chemours.
Public hearings on the proposed water treatment system started Tuesday night at Cape Fear Community College. DEQ's Division of Water Resources will accept comments on this through Friday.
If you want to speak at the meeting you need to register to speak by noon, June 23 at this link.
To submit comments by email, send to publiccomments@ncdenr.gov with CHEMOURS noted in the subject line. Public comments may also be mailed to Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Chemours Permit, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1617.