Read the full article by Ben Sessoms (Carolina Public Press)
“In response to an updated federal drinking water advisory, the chemical company Chemours filed a lawsuit last month against the Environmental Protection Agency, challenging the science behind the agency’s action.
The Chemours plant in southern Cumberland County produces GenX, a trade name for one per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS.
The PFAS production at the Cumberland site is responsible for groundwater contamination in the surrounding area, according to well sampling from Chemours and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
The EPA issued an updated advisory in June for the amount of PFAS in drinking water, lowering the maximum for GenX from 140 parts per trillion to 10 ppt. Two other PFAS – PFOS and PFOA – were lowered from 70 ppt to an interim of 0.004 ppt and 0.02 ppt, respectively.
Due to the lowered GenX advisory, nearly 1,700 additional wells are considered unsafe under that threshold, Carolina Public Press reported.” …