RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina environmental regulators say they now have proof that a worrying but little-researched compound is carried aloft by winds and falls to earth in rainwater miles from the chemical plant where it’s made.
The state Division of Air Quality said Friday that concentrations of the chemical GenX in rainwater collected near The Chemours Co. plant near Fayetteville sometimes exceeded a state health recommendation for drinking water.
State environmental officials say the finding suggests that private wells and lakes near the Bladen County chemical plant may be showing GenX contamination because it was deposited by rain.
Wilmington, Delaware-based Chemours didn’t respond Friday to an invitation to comment.
There is little research about the health effects of GenX, which is used in the production of Teflon and other non-stick surfaces.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
