Cape Fear River

When the water at the Sanford water plant in September, it had high rates of PFAS

State lawmaker says fighting PFAS in NC will require more than enforceable standards

September 10, 2020 by Greg Barnes Leave a Comment

State lawmaker says fighting PFAS in NC will require more than enforceable standards - North Carolina Health News

Rep. Pricey Harrison would welcome new maximum contaminant levels for certain types of PFAS, but she worries that industries would just switch to another PFAS compound, resulting in a game of whack-a-mole. Part 2 of 2

By Greg Barnes Months after DuPont bought the rights to produce Perfluorooctanoic acid (known as PFOA or C8) from Minnesota’s 3M Corp. in 2002, DuPont discovered that the suspected carcinogen used to make Teflon had leaked into the groundwater under the company’s Fayetteville Works plant. Except for some local newspaper articles and rumblings from environmental […]

Dr. Jamie DeWitt, right, and Samuel Vance, a biomedical science master’s program student, conduct research into the health effects of PFAS in DeWitt’s lab at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. Photo credit: East Carolina University.

NC getting tougher on PFAS polluters, but researchers say more action is needed

September 9, 2020 by Greg Barnes Leave a Comment

NC getting tougher on PFAS polluters, but researchers say more action is needed - North Carolina Health News

The researchers and state Rep. Pricey Harrison say North Carolina should follow other states and develop maximum contaminant levels for PFAS, but that doesn’t appear likely to happen soon. Part 1 of 2

Greg Barnes North Carolina is getting tougher on industries that pollute the state’s air and waterways with potentially carcinogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” On Aug. 10, state Attorney General Josh Stein announced that he is starting an investigation into manufacturers and others that have fouled the state’s lakes, […]

shows large storm approaching the north carolina coast

Coronavirus Today – Aug. 3 – Awaiting Isaias; Curfews and evacuations; Landfall in southeastern NC?

August 3, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Aug. 3 – Awaiting Isaias; Curfews and evacuations; Landfall in southeastern NC? - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina awaits the dawn after its first major storm amid the coronavirus pandemic.

By Anne Blythe As Tropical Storm Isaias gets closer to North Carolina’s southeastern coastline, where it is expected to come ashore later tonight, Gov. Roy Cooper has cautioned people not to get caught up in weather semantics. Isaias rose out of a tropical wave off the African coastline and organized into a tighter storm with […]

Shows two women in a lab, manipulating tools in order to test water samples, which are arranged on the tabletop

Research suggests link between PFAS contamination and the coronavirus

July 13, 2020 by Greg Barnes

Research suggests link between PFAS contamination and the coronavirus - North Carolina Health News

Studies say people with high levels of PFAS in their systems could be more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

By Greg Barnes John Wolfe doesn’t know what else he can do to protect himself against the coronavirus. The Wilmington boat captain follows all of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. He wears a mask and requires tourists on his boat to do the same. He practices social distancing and washes his hands […]

Study co-authors Tiffany Penland (left) and Casey Grieshaber gather fish from the Pee Dee River to test tissue for the presence and abundance of PFAS. Photo credit: N.C. State

N.C. State study finds PFAS throughout Yadkin-Pee Dee River food chain

June 26, 2020 by Greg Barnes

N.C. State study finds PFAS throughout Yadkin-Pee Dee River food chain - North Carolina Health News

Researchers say the PFAS could threaten the ecosystem, human health and an imperiled fish called the robust redhorse.

By Greg Barnes While sampling the Yadkin-Pee Dee River’s food chain for perfluorinated compounds known as PFAS, N.C. State University researchers managed to capture a robust redhorse that was about to spawn. Capturing the fish, a member of the sucker family, was no easy task. According to N.C. Wildlife Commission, an estimated 62 reproductive adult […]

glass of water to signify contaminated drinking water. There's little being done about 1,4 dioxane in the Cape Fear River Basin

How long will it take to rid PFAS from private wells?

April 7, 2020 by Greg Barnes

How long will it take to rid PFAS from private wells? - North Carolina Health News

A reader’s question spurs NC Health News to look for answers. How does 20 to 30 years sound?

By Greg Barnes As more sampling is performed, the number of private drinking water wells found to be contaminated by GenX and other “forever chemicals” continues to surge in an area surrounding the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant. Figures from the state Department of Environmental Quality show that, as of mid-February, more than 2,500 homes in […]

Shows hands pouring a chemical into a testing container that labeled "Microfiber filter" These processes - along with mass spectrometry - helped identify GenX in the Cape Fear River. NC State will have a research center dedicated to PFAS.

N.C. State receives $7.4 million grant to establish PFAS research center

March 18, 2020 by Greg Barnes

N.C. State receives $7.4 million grant to establish PFAS research center - North Carolina Health News

The center will expand on existing studies, including human exposure to PFAS in Wilmington and the Fayetteville area, and take a deeper look into getting rid of the chemicals.

By Greg Barnes During the past few years, researchers at N.C. State University have taken blood and tap water samples from people in the Wilmington and Fayetteville areas to assess their exposure to GenX and other PFAS chemicals. Now, with a $7.4 million federal grant announced this month, they plan to dive even deeper into […]

Houses against a blue sky in an area with wells contaminated by forever chemicals

People are buying houses unaware of ‘forever chemicals’ in their well water

January 6, 2020 by Greg Barnes

People are buying houses unaware of ‘forever chemicals’ in their well water - North Carolina Health News

For decades, DuPont and later Chemours spewed GenX and other PFAS chemicals into the air at a plant near a rural Cumberland County community, contaminating well water for at least 1,673 homes. Despite that, homebuilding there is booming.

UPDATE: The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted Monday to extend public water lines to Alderman and Gray’s Creek elementary schools, which lie in the heart of an area contaminated by PFAS. The board agreed to allocate $10.5 million from county reserves, about $3 million of which will be used to extend the lines to […]

shows a group of people gathered on a graffiti covered bridge, they're working with equipment that's on the ground.

What stories grabbed you in 2019? NC Health News most-read stories of the year, continued.

December 31, 2019 by Editor

What stories grabbed you in 2019? NC Health News most-read stories of the year, continued. - North Carolina Health News

NC Health News published more than 300 stories in 2019. These are rest of the topics which were widely read, shared and commented on.

By NC Health News staff PFAS, 1,4 dioxane still troubling NC waters In the Wilmington area, the reaction was swift to news in 2017 that potentially unhealthy levels of GenX and other “forever chemicals” had been found in drinking water drawn from the Cape Fear River. There, officials had someone to blame. The state Department […]

A municipal drinking water plant. Unlike at a private well, water is treated for bactria and for chemicals such as 1.4 dioxane at a central location, then pumped through pipes to residents. This can symbolize 1,4 dioxane contamination and clean water.

DEQ records show repeated releases of probable carcinogen into Haw River

November 19, 2019 by Greg Barnes

DEQ records show repeated releases of probable carcinogen into Haw River - North Carolina Health News

DEQ cites Greensboro and Reidsville for failing to report recent releases of 1,4 dioxane, a probable carcinogen, but newly released data show multiple discharges for almost two years.

By Greg Barnes For nearly two years, state regulators have required Greensboro and Reidsville to monitor monthly for the probable carcinogen 1,4 dioxane at their wastewater treatment plants. The data, which the state never made public before Friday, show alarmingly high concentrations of the chemical being released repeatedly into the Haw River from December 2017 […]

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