'Forever chemicals' found in central North Carolina, study finds
A national study found PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," in the parts of central North Carolina.
Of the 11 sites tested in the state, it found the presence of forever chemicals at four of them – including downtown Cary and along the Orange-Alamance county line near Saxapahaw.
Katy May is director of community engagement for the Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS
“The more we learn about them, the more we realize they’re everywhere in our environment,” May said. “They’re in our drinking water, in our soil, in the air, and then they end up in our bodies.”
The Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS looks at different ways PFAS get into the environment, health impacts and way to remediate PFAs. May said she’s been researching the topic since about 2017.
“The biggest source of exposure to PFAS is through contaminated drinking water," she said. "The study that was released highlights just how widespread PFAs in drinking water can be.”
U.S. Geological Survey research marks the first time anyone has tested for and compared PFAS in tap water from both private and government-regulated public water supplies on a broad scale throughout the country. Those data were used to model and estimate PFAS contamination nationwide.
“This USGS study can help members of the public to understand their risk of exposure and inform policy and management decisions regarding testing and treatment options for drinking water,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
PFAS have a persistence in the environment and prevalence across the country, making them a unique water-quality concern.
“It’s causing health problems,” Ron Ross said.
Ross lives in Cumberland County, where PFAS were found after Chemours was letting the forever chemicals seep into the air, water and soil.
“The chemicals they dropped into the water are poison,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ed Buchan, Raleigh Water’s senior communications analyst, says the city has been monitoring its water supply for years.
“It’s not surprising to see that it has made it’s made its way into drinking water system all across the country, and all around the world,” he said. “The USGS study confirmed what we thought would be the case.”
The Environmental Protection Agency announced its first-ever drinking water standard for PFAS this year. It’s a proposed standard and it’s unclear if and when it will become final.
“It puts us in a waiting pattern,” Buchan said. “In terms of keeping people safe, we feel like our tap water is very safe.”
