PFOA and PFOS, the most notorious compounds in the PFAS family, still contaminate many areas of the country despite being phased out of production (PFOS was phased out in 2002, and PFOA by 2015/2016.) Although human studies have shown these chemicals to be of little toxicity, there are many animal studies that reveal these chemicals to be highly toxic. It’s not surprising then that there is a growing groundswell of advocacy behind federal regulation of these chemicals. And if the scientific uncertainty surrounding PFAS wasn’t …
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Wolverine State Moves Toward Regulation of GenX
Michigan could be the first state in the nation to establish maximum contaminant levels for the chemical, GenX. This comes after a Science Advisory Workgroup, made up of three environmental and health experts, listed GenX among seven chemicals deserving of regulation in the state’s drinking water in late June. Although it gained notoriety for contaminating the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, GenX is not among chemicals currently regulated by the EPA, leaving beleaguered states to step up and set guidelines where needed. Michigan’s proposed …
Continue ReadingGenX Update: State Environmental Agency Seeks Injunction Against Chemours From Further Discharging GenX
We’ve posted on several occasions about the ongoing litigation over GenX contamination emanating from the Chemours Fayetteville Works facility along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina.
The damages that defendants typically face in these trending water contamination actions arise not only from cleanup costs to the waterbody at issue, but from the impact to the surrounding communities —ranging from PI, damage to real property/diminution in value, natural resources, and medical monitoring. There’s also another type of damages in the form of equitable relief. Last …
Continue ReadingPFAS Update: Class Actions Filed Stemming from Cape Fear River Contamination
Back in June, Environmental Law Monitor reported that GenX, the trade name for a class of perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS), had been detected in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River, a main supply source for the City of Wilmington’s drinking water, and that the US EPA and other state agencies had traced the PFAS upstream to the Chemours Company facility, Fayetteville Works, upstream. Federal and state authorities were investigating how long and at what detectable levels PFAS may have persisted in the Cape Fear River and …
Continue ReadingWater Alert — PFAs Detected in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River Raise Immediate Concerns Over Safety of Community’s Drinking Water Supply
On June 20, 2017, the Chemours Company announced that it will now “capture, remove, and safely dispose of wastewater that contains the byproduct GenX,” from North Carolina’s Cape Fear River — a main supply source for the City of Wilmington’s drinking water.
The announcement last week comes on the heels of reports that the EPA is investigating whether Chemours complied with a 2009 order issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that allowed DuPont (from which Chemours was spun-off) to produce GenX in its …
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