skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Communities Still in Dark on Cape Fear River Contamination

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 12, 2019   

WILMINGTON, N.C. - It's been two years since communities surrounding the Cape Fear River found out their water supply had been contaminated by a compound known as GenX, part of the group of hazardous chemicals called PFAS. Today, New Hanover County residents say they still need answers.

The source of the Cape Fear discharge was Chemours, a spinoff company of DuPont that manufactures industrial chemicals. GenX is a chemical byproduct of the manufacturing process, and also is found in Teflon and firefighting foam.

Emily Donovan, who co-founded the group Clean Cape Fear, said local residents remain in the dark.

"A lack of information does not equal 'safe,' and that's where we have been living for the last two years," she said. "We've been living with a lack of information, and we're being continually told the water is still safe to drink."

Donovan said research continues to show chemicals in the PFAS family - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - are toxic and carcinogenic. Last year, the North Carolina Legislature approved more than $5 million to fund the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network, a research group to test public drinking-water sources across the state for PFAS contamination.

Donovan said regulatory loopholes in the permitting process allow companies such as Chemours to discharge GenX and other proprietary compounds without having to disclose any information about them. She said GenX initially received a lot of media attention as a compound scientists were able to detect and identify. However, she said, little is known about other chemicals or byproducts that could have seeped into the Cape Fear River.

"In our area, we have an increase in testicular cancer; there's cause for concern for liver or kidney, and then, we also have thyroid cancer," she said. "What's tricky is to track down the other health risks because these are chemicals that have not been very well studied."

State Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Greensboro, and other legislators have introduced House Bill 568, which would make it mandatory for companies to provide information about the chemicals they discharge and would suspend the permits of those that release unauthorized or undisclosed pollutants. The text of that bill is online at ncleg.gov.

Reporting by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the Park Foundation

Disclosure: Park Foundation - North Carolina contributes to our fund for reporting on Campaign Finance Reform/Money in Pol, Children's Issues, Consumer Issues, Environment. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2023, the Biden administration ordered a Bakersfield oil company to remove old oil rigs from Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California. (Bob Wick/BLM)

Environment

play sound

Groups that fight to protect public lands are criticizing the Trump administration's new review of all oil, gas and mining on public lands. National …


Environment

play sound

This weekend, Virginians will participate with other birders around the world in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

Environment

play sound

This weekend, birders across the world, including in Maryland, will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …


A new study looking at drought impacts on grasslands found that such lands in China saw a 43% reduction in annual productivity, compared with just a 25% reduction in North America under the same conditions. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Grasslands are considered a vital component of South Dakota's landscape. But on the heels of new research, an expert suggests they might not fare as …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is little less than a year away from launching its paid-leave law, but state lawmakers are debating whether to delay the start until 2027…

In its next contract, the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Program faculty union is looking for "reasonable" class sizes and for teachers to easily access remote learning tools when needed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A New York City music school's faculty is back in the classroom after a weeklong strike. The Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Program faculty …

Social Issues

play sound

A New York bill would require schools to teach about the Jan. 6 insurrection. The bill calls for all K-12 students to be taught about the event…

Health and Wellness

play sound

An Atlanta-based group is making sure more people have access to an unconventional but effective treatment for their moderate mental health challenges…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021