SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Samples of fish from the lower and middle Cape Fear River have tested high for PFAS, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is recommending limits on its consumption.
READ MORE: Researchers studying bacteria that degrade PFAS, ultimate destruction still ‘elusive’
PFAS — including perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) that were found in the samples — are often called “forever chemicals” due to their inability to break down in the environment. They have been flowing in in the river for decades due to Chemours dumping the toxic chemicals; it was first discovered in 2017 (Chemours has maintained it doesn’t manufacture PFOS).
Since, the company has put measures into place, including a recent completion of its barrier wall, a state-required treatment system to mitigate pollution going into the Cape Fear River. It has affected populations in and around the Fayetteville area, where Chemours is located, downstream to Wilmington.
“Communities in the middle and lower Cape Fear Region have been requesting information about PFAS in fish since GenX was found in the river,” Dr. Zack Moore, NCDHHS state epidemiologist, said in a press release. “There are no easy answers, but we hope this information will help residents make the best decisions for themselves and their families.”
NC Department of Environmental Quality and NC Wildlife Resources Commission collected and tested various species often caught and consumed from the Fayetteville Boat Ramp to The Bluffs, a bit north of Wilmington.
Of 250 samples collected, PFAS were found in all species, with PFOS higher in bluegill, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, striped bass and redear.
Expectant mothers or those nursing, as well as women of childbearing age, should never eat the bass, catfish or redear, while everyone else is safe to consume one meal a year across all species, according to recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
Less contamination was found in the American shad, blue catfish and channel catfish. Women who are pregnant, nursing or of childbearing age should limit consumption of the fish to one meal a year, while everyone else should only eat it seven times annually across all species.
The health ramifications of long-term exposure to PFAS continue to be studied though adverse health effects including impaired thyroid function, increased cholesterol levels, decreased immune system response and increased risk of certain cancers, including testicular and kidney.
The chemicals have been found in drinking water and food, indoor dust, and consumer products — nonstick cookware, carpets, food packaging, stain repellents, water-resistant clothing — nationwide. The Cape Fear region is considered “ground zero” for exposure.
“We want residents to have these recommendations so they can make informed decisions about fish consumption,” Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, state health director and NCDHHS chief medical officer, said in the release.
North Carolina advisories are lower than other states — Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — since it utilizes a new lower reference dose for PFOS released by the federal EPA in March 2023. The legacy chemicals PFOA and PFOS, banned from manufacturing processes, will not be allowed to exceed concentrations of 4 parts per trillion in drinking water, though it won’t go into effect for four years. The EPA’s current health advisory sets safe levels at below 10 parts per trillion.
For more information regarding state efforts to address PFAS, click here.
Have comments or tips? Email info@portcitydaily.com
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
