PFAS contamination found across North Carolina's drinking water systems, report finds
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The Cape Fear River passing by downtown Wilmington, an area that had the most notable PFAS contamination in the state. Photo: Lance King/Getty Images
Drinking water for at least 2.5 million North Carolinians is contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at rates exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency's new standards, according to a new report from the nonprofit advocacy group the Environmental Working Group.
Why it matters: Exposure to certain levels of these synthetic compounds, referred to collectively as "forever chemicals," has been linked to adverse health effects in humans and animals, including an increased risk of cancer, Axios previously reported.
Catch up quick: The chemicals are often used to make nonstick or stain-resistant coatings. They're also in products like firefighting foam and other goods resistant to heat, water, grease and other materials.
Driving the news: In April, the EPA, led by President Biden appointee and North Carolina native Michael Regan, set the first-ever national limits on the presence of PFAS in drinking water.
- Public water systems have five years to implement solutions, including expensive filtration systems like those the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority recently installed to meet federal standards.
Zoom in: The EWG analysis found 47 drinking water systems in the state had PFAS levels above the new limits, including the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, city of Durham, city of Greensboro, Fayetteville Public Works Commission and Brunswick County Public Utilities.
- The analysis noted there are at least 50 chemical manufacturers in the state that could be sources of PFAS and more than 700 suspected industrial PFAS dischargers
- Two notable contaminations in North Carolina have happened downstream of polluters, including the Wilmington area along the Cape Fear River and Pittsboro on the Haw River.
- Firefighting foam used on military bases across the country has also been a significant source of PFAS contamination.
What's next: The state of North Carolina is considering adding new regulations around discharging PFAS chemicals into drinking water.
- But the effort was stalled by two Republican-appointed members of the state's Environmental Management Commission after the N.C. Chamber asked for more research to be done on how much it could cost for businesses and local governments to comply with the rules.
What they're saying: Jared Hayes, one of the authors of the EWG's report, said money has been available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by Biden in 2021, to upgrade water systems for PFAS.
- But states and municipalities need to do more to get dischargers of the chemicals to stop, he added.
- "That way utilities aren't having to pay to remove it," he told Axios. "Because if we're just treating for it, that's really a band-aid for an ongoing problem."