“WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington have given the NC House of Representatives their final report on GenX, which reveals several new poly-fluoroalkyl chemical compounds were identified at the Sweeney Water Treatment Facility.
Under House Bill 56, UNCW received $250,000 to identify and quantify GenX and measure the concentration of the chemical in the Cape Fear River.
The PFAS were tentatively identified during weekly collection and non-targeted screening through mass spectrometry of raw and finished drinking water the water treatment facility.
The structure of those compounds is still being determined and have not been reported in the scientific literature.
One compound, PFMOAA, structure I, has been identified.
Other findings reveal an analyses of sediment samples collected from multiple sites indicate GenX is present, both point and non-point sources are likely contributors, and that sediments appear to be acting as a repository of GenX…
The report states that biodegradation of GenX in sediments will require longer-term incubation experiments.
The research also included a study of the effects of GenX on oysters. The report says there was little bioaccumulation of GenX in oyster tissues.
UNCW says it has been conducting National Science Foundations-funded rainwater research for more than two decades, resulting in one of the most comprehensive long-term data sets in the world. UNCW analyzed several rain samples for GenX.
Based on those results, UNCW informed NCDAQ that GenX was present in some rain samples, leading to their current rainwater study of atmospheric transport of this compound.”
Read the full article by WWAY News.