NC State researcher finds high levels of PFAS along Cape Fear beaches

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A researcher with NC State has found that sea foam on beaches in our area is contaminated with high levels of forever chemicals known as PFAS. 

Last week, NC State Researcher Jeffrey Enders shared some of his findings with an expert panel hosted by Clean Cape Fear. 

After testing 13 samples collected across a tri-county area, Enders found that the sea foam contained dangerous amounts PFOS—a class of PFAS compounds. 

The highest concentration was found near Sea Breeze at Carolina Beach, measuring 800,000 nanograms per liter (ng/L). That’s the highest PFOS concentration ever documented in sea foam. 

Clean Cape Fear Cofounder Emily Donovan said she’s frustrated by the actions of the Environmental Management Commission in Raleigh, which has given industries upstream the green light to continue dumping without any limits to PFAS emissions. 

“So what’s happening right now is atrocious, it’s immoral, and it’s something that this entire region should be paying attention to and demanding much better from our regulators. I mean this is our tax dollars,” she said. 

The Environmental Management Commission is a 15-member body under the Department of Environmental Quality. Members are appointed by the governor, senate pro tempore, speaker of the house, and the commissioner of agriculture.