Chemours To Remove Teflon Chemical From NC Plant Wastewater

Chemours this week vowed to remove traces of a chemical used to produce Teflon non-stick coating from wastewater at its plant in North Carolina.

The Delaware-based chemical company, which was spun off from DuPont in 2015, sparked controversy after reports showed evidence of a substance called GenX in the Cape Fear River — downstream from a plant in Fayetteville, N.C.

DuPont developed GenX as a replacement for perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly called PFOA or C8, in Teflon production.

PFOA came under fire after residents near a DuPont plant in West Virginia complained of health problems blamed on contaminated water. DuPont and Chemours early this year settled thousands of claims from individuals affected by cancer and other chronic health issues linked to PFOA.

Although GenX's toxicology profile was reportedly lower than PFOA, researchers last year suggested that GenX and other perfluorinated chemicals could pose similar health risks.

Chemours said in a statement Tuesday that it would "capture, remove, and safely dispose" of water that contained GenX. The company argued that although trace amounts of the chemical did not impact drinking water safety and were "well below" state screening thresholds, it would adopt the new measures "as a significant employer and member of the community."

"Chemours will continue to work closely with local and state officials to answer questions, provide information as needed, and determine next steps," the statement added.

North Carolina regulators told The News Journal that they would continue to look into the matter, and reports suggested that the Environmental Protection Agency is also considering an investigation.