Read the full article by Paul Woolverton (Star News Online)
“Suit cites reduced property values, costs for getting uncontaminated water.
More than 200 people who live near the Chemours Co. chemical factory south of Fayetteville filed a federal lawsuit against the company and its predecessor, DuPont de Nemours Inc., citing the GenX and PFAS contamination of their property and water supplies.
‘The lawsuit seeks damages to compensate the plaintiffs for reduced property values; the cost of filtering water or obtaining a source of uncontaminated water; the cost of cleaning and replacing contaminated plumbing; and the loss of use of contaminated property,” a news release from the residents’ legal team says.
The suit was filed May 20 in federal court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
A spokeswoman for Chemours said the company is declining to comment on the suit. Representatives of DuPont had not responded to a request for comment before deadline on Tuesday afternoon.
The Chemours factory is off N.C. 87 about 20 minutes outside Fayetteville near the Bladen-Cumberland County line.
It has been under scrutiny since it was made public in 2017 that the plant had been discharging potentially carcinogenic chemicals into the Cape Fear River and the atmosphere. The chemicals, perfluoroalkyl substances also known as PFAS, were found in the water supplies of communities downstream, including Wilmington.
They also have been found in the groundwater that supplies the wells for homes, businesses, schools and other places near the plant.
PFAS are used in the manufacture of consumer and commercial products such as nonstick cookware and lubricants. GenX is a PFAS.
‘So far, well over a dozen PFAS have been detected in the environment around the Fayetteville Works facility,’ the lawsuit says.
Chemours has said it has terminated the intentional discharge of PFAS into the Cape Fear River and the air. Last year, the company installed $100 million worth of equipment to remove and capture chemicals from its waste-gas stream. It’s negotiating with North Carolina regulators on a plan to stop the remaining PFAS in the ground at the plant from leaching into the river…”