GenX found in rainwater on UNCW campus

RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) – North Carolina Rep. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover), the chairman of the House Select Committee on North Carolina River Quality had one question, “How much more is Chemours going to get away with before something is done?”

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has issued six violation notifications to Chemours in the past several months.

The company no longer is allowed to dispose of GenX waste water into the Cape Fear River, which has, according to DEQ, led to a decrease in detectable levels of the compound.

However GenX has been found in rainwater on the UNC Wilmington campus. Students and professors regularly test rainwater for other chemicals. A couple of months ago they started testing for the GenX.

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Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) took issue with the compound being dumped into the river in the first place.

Another emerging issue with the GenX compound is no one really knows how wide spread the contamination is or long-term effects.

According to Harrison “from my research these chemicals do have public health hazards associated with them. Many are known carcinogens and toxins. It is clear to me there are no safe levels, and we ought to be urging a precautionary principle and not letting any of that stuff being dumped into our water and our air unless we know they are safe.”

A carbon filter system is being tested at the home of a Chemours employee with a GenX contaminated well.

So far, the filter system has removed all detectable traces of the compound.

However filtering contaminated well water is not considered a permanent solution, GenX is still being detected in the rain, ground water and some crops.