March 2025
By: Ty McFarland, Director of Communications for NCLCVF, city of Raleigh, NC & 2024 Fellow
Companies Have Dumped Harmful Chemicals in Our Water For Decades
For years, companies based in Central NC made insane profits by producing chemicals needed for nonstick pans, firefighter equipment, and more. These chemicals play a role in our society, but they are extremely dangerous to our health and should be managed properly.
PFAS for short, are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally in nature or in our bodies and are around for hundreds of years. Health effects vary based on the kind of PFAS (there are 14,000+ variations), but here are a few overarching health effects according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences:
- Harms to metabolism and body weight regulation, and risk of childhood obesity
- Hinders our immune systems
- Increased risk of certain cancers (including breast, kidney, and testicular cancer)
Because of the well known health impacts of these chemicals, we must take the management of these chemicals very seriously. And when a company mismanages these chemicals, they need to be held responsible.
Companies Knowingly Dump Chemicals in Our Water
But Chemours and DuPont didn’t just mismanage these chemicals, they knowingly dumped them and their waste products in the Cape Fear River for years. They knowingly contaminated the water for millions of North Carolinians. Recently, scientists discovered 14 types of PFAS in the drinking water at Farmer Elementary School in Randolph County. Testing showed two of the most toxic types of forever chemicals – PFOS and PFOA – at “144 and 233 times greater than federal limits, respectively.” Elementary school children, faculty and staff have been drinking poisoned water for decades.
Federal and State Action
Many North Carolinians have spoken up and shared their stories.Thanks to these folks and others like them across our country, our federal government established the first legally enforceable drinking water standard ever. That standard 100 million people across our nation, preventing thousands of deaths, and reducing tens of thousands of serious illnesses.
Governor Cooper also took action last year and established June 3rd-7th as PFAS Awareness Week. “Based on all available data, more than 300 water systems in our state have PFAS levels that will exceed the new [federal] standards,” he announced. “That includes 42 municipal water systems serving nearly 3 million residents combined, as well as approximately 20% of small public water systems tested.”
What Can You Do?
First, you will want to find out if your drinking water has PFAS in it. Start by contacting your local water authority. If your water has not yet been tested, let us know and we can help you with the process. If your water has tested positive for PFAS, there are filters designed to remove them from your water. They can be expensive, and you will want to make sure they are certified. Some companies claim their filters remove PFAS, but Consumer Reports (CR) suggests finding a filter labeled with “the code NSF/ANSI 53 (or NSF/ANSI 58 for reverse osmosis systems), followed by the manufacturer’s claim that the product can remove PFAS.” CR also lists their recommendations of filters.
If you’d like another way to help address PFAS in our communities, we ask that you become a donor today. Your donations help Boards + Commission to continue to build up leaders that will address these and other environmental concerns.
