North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is now urging the EPA to block a recently approved shipment of over 4 million pounds of GenX chemical to North Carolina’s Chemours plant in Fayetteville.
The projected imports of GenX by the Fayetteville Works facility are substantially higher than in previous years. Research by the Dutch news organization ILT revealed that exports of GenX from Dordrecht to Fayetteville rose from 10 tons in 2014 to 116 tons in 2018.
GenX is a member of the PFAS family, a group of around 15,000 chemicals known to be detrimental to human health, implicated in a variety of serious conditions including cancers of the testicles, kidneys, liver, and pancreas, as well as birth defects, fertility issues, immune system depression, and elevated cholesterol levels.
“North Carolina has been at the forefront of PFAS issues for the past seven years and worked relentlessly to mitigate the health risks posed by these chemicals,” said Gov. Cooper in a press release. “It is unacceptable for North Carolinians to bear the risks associated with importing millions of pounds of GenX from other countries for disposal in our air, land and water.”
North Carolina has worked relentlessly to mitigate the health risks posed by PFAS chemicals. It is unacceptable for North Carolinians to bear the risks of importing millions of pounds of GenX from other countries for disposal in our air, land and water.https://t.co/wQTX7R200I
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) November 8, 2023
These substances are notorious for their persistence in the environment, leading to their designation as “forever chemicals.” The EPA has found GenX to be significantly more hazardous than previously assessed. In October 2021, the agency’s final toxicological report on GenX revealed that even minimal concentrations in drinking water could pose a risk to human health, especially affecting the liver. Earlier in the year, the EPA suggested new drinking water guidelines for various PFAS compounds, including GenX.
“Chemours has not come close to cleaning up the mess they’ve already made,” said Wilmington’s Cape Fear River Watch director Dana Sargent. “Neither DEQ nor EPA have held them accountable for the breadth of the damage. Here again is proof that, if another state or country has something dirty to dispose of, North Carolina is first in line to put our health and environment at risk, in support of padding the pockets of polluting industries.”
What do you think about the potential importation of 4 million lbs of GenX into our state?
