The chemical compound GenX and the region’s water supply remain on the minds of many. Late Monday New Hanover County officials confirmed a meeting this week to learn more about GenX, and what needs to be done.
New Hanover County has confirmed that this Thursday, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA), the City of Wilmington, Brunswick County, and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) will meet with the Chemours Company to assess the GenX situation. This meeting is closed to the public.
At issue is public safety and the impact of having GenX in the water supply.
“I’m extremely concerned about it. On a scale of 1 to 10, I call it a 12.”
State Representative Deb Butler.
She says as more details come about out about GenX, and any potential hazards the compound poses, the public must be kept informed.
“I think it is imperative that we have transparency, in public information available, I don’t want there to be any appearance of conspiracy of silence. That would be the world’s worst way to handle this and I am hopeful that that doesn’t happen.”
In 2013-14, researchers from N.C. State University measuring for the compound found 631 parts per trillion. To put that in perspective, that’s about 631 drops per every 10 Olympic – size swimming pools of water.
That number may seem small, but it is almost 10 times the EPA’s recommended 70 parts per trillion advisory amount for C8, which was GenX’s predecessor. The compound was found at CFPUA’s water intake in the Cape Fear River.
There remain questions over the toxicity of GenX at the levels discovered.
GenX is an unregulated contaminant, and can’t be removed by current treatment systems like those at CFPUA.
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