Related: High concentrations of fluorinated chemical GenX found in watershed

“WILMINGTON – Nearly every home whose tap water researchers tested for GenX in October and November showed levels of GenX and other perfluorinated chemicals, a trio of N.C. State professors told Wilmington residents on Tuesday.

The researchers are part of a team of North Carolina researchers led by N.C. State’s Center for Human Health and the Environment that received a $275,000 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the region’s contamination of GenX and 16 other fluorochemicals believed to be tied to Chemours’ production at the Fayetteville Works facility. Testing included checking blood, urine and tap water for the chemical’s presence.

While most homes served by Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s Sweeney Water Treatment Plant showed levels of GenX, none of them were above the N.C. Department of Health and Human Service’s health goal of 140 parts per trillion. Tests of the 198 homes also showed three other fluorochemicals, including Nafion byproduct 2, in homes, but tools to evaluate the concentrations of those levels were not available.

The researchers did not report Tuesday the results of blood and urine samples, which would show how much of the chemical is found in the region’s residents…

Researchers have marked the end of the summer as a target for reporting the blood test results to participating individuals, while urine results could come later. At each stage, they said, results will be shared with the public in forums like Tuesday’s…

Undersink reverse osmosis systems are, Knappe said, the most effective method for removing GenX and other industrial contaminants, while activated carbon is also effective. Reverse osmosis systems cost $200 to install and purchase yourself or $1,000 to purchase and have installed, while a monitoring stick that tests whether the system is still removing salt can be purchased for about $10…

Knappe also recommended against installing a whole-house filter because it opened up other water-related risks and warned against purchasing a product based on alarmist advertisements.”

Read the full article by Adam Wagner