In this video, Analies, one of our Policy Nerds, discusses the latest update on GenX contamination in the Cape Fear watershed. On January 25th, 2018, H2GO and a local news agency hosted a meeting to update the public on the GenX crisis unfolding in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The forum featured 3 scientists, 2 representatives from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, or NCDEQ, local utility providers, and a packed audience of concerned locals.
The backstory is that the Chemours plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina had been discharging fluorinated compounds into the Cape Fear River since the 1980’s. This water source supplies drinking water to residents all the way from Fayetteville to Wilmington. Once the EPA became aware of the harmful health effects of these chemicals, the plant switched to a different chemical used in teflon production called GenX. Come to find out, the new chemical could potentially be even more harmful than the previously used chemicals.
The team heading the effort at NC state shared the most recent data on testing for seven different systems. These included five whole house reverse osmosis systems, one whole house granular activated carbon system, and one whole house granular activated carbon & ion exchange resin system. They concluded that the whole house reverse osmosis systems were the most effective at removing GenX from drinking water. What they failed to mention was the post-filtration discharge and the enormous cost of reverse osmosis filters.
In addition to GenX, the forum also highlighted concerns over eight other fluorinated compounds, that are present in the Cape Fear River. The scientists concluded that they know even less about these contaminants, which is frightening considering how little is known about GenX. While these eight other fluorinated compounds may be new to the press, they are not new to the scientific community. GenX received a ton of media attention because of its alarming name, but it is not necessarily the most dangerous contaminant in the waterway. At Hydroviv we’ve been aware of these other contaminants and have significant data regarding their presence in waterways.
A representative from the NCDEQ shared the three requests made by the Governor to the EPA. These were to expedite water quality data on GenX, expedite the risk assessment so that national and state standards can be set, and review the consent order under the Toxic Substance Control Act. The same representative also stated they are planning to “do everything to establish a regulatory framework for GenX.” What about the 8 other harmful contaminants discussed at the forum? What differentiates GenX from the thousands of unregulated contaminants that are currently “in review” by the EPA? Why are residents waiting for extrapolated standards based off toxicological testing of laboratory mice (most likely funded by DuPont and Chemours)? Realistically, setting a water quality standard is a difficult and decades-long task.
Under the 1996 amendment of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA requires new contaminants to be added to the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) every six years. The UCMR is a list of chemicals and contaminants (capped at 30) that are “under review” by the EPA. This list of 30 is whittled down to major priority contaminants which are then further reviewed. After this process, the selected contaminants may or may not become regulated substances by the EPA. Not to our surprise, six of the eight fluorinated compounds present in the Cape Fear River are “in review” under the UCMR. To make matters worse, if contaminants aren’t registered for use in the United States, and don’t have an analytical reference standard, they are removed from consideration. The GenX crisis made it clear that even scientists have no idea what industrial companies are discharging into waterways.
One last notable moment from the meeting was when an audience member asked if any of the scientists on the panel are currently drinking the tap water in Brunswick County, and the answer was a unanimous no.
Water Nerd TV promises to stay as current as possible with new water quality data. We’re committed to learning your water and optimizing your water filter based on our research. When a customer’s Hydroviv filter was tested by NC State as part of the ongoing monitoring study, the results were clear that Hydroviv filters eliminated all of the fluorinated compounds present in the water sample, including GenX.
If you have any questions regarding water quality in your area or which filter to get, we recommend you visit our website at hydroviv.com and reach out. Our support team is based in Washington DC.
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