GenX not found in blood of residents near Chemours plant, study finds
Blood samples from residents who live near the Chemours plant in Bladen County did not contain the compound most associated with the facility but did have high levels of similar chemicals.
Officials from North Carolina State University, East Carolina University and the Environmental Protection Agency are conducting research for the GenX Exposure Study, which started in November 2017 and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Several county health departments and non-profit groups also are helping with the study.
Researchers provided an overview of the latest results at a meeting in Hope Mills on Thursday. The presentation also was available online.
The study is trying to determine if GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are in the bodies of residents who live near the Chemours plant and those who get their drinking water downstream from the facility.
The Chemours plant manufactures GenX, and the compound is a byproduct of other processes at the facility. The plant, which is known as the Fayetteville Works facility, is just off N.C. 87 between Fayetteville and Elizabethtown.
More: EPA assessment: GenX more toxic than thought; health effects might include liver, immune system
Hundreds of private wells around the facility have been contaminated with GenX and other similar compounds. The chemicals also have been discovered in the Cape Fear River, which is the source of drinking water for several communities downstream from the plant.
State officials have been investigating Chemours since 2017 when the Wilmington Star-News reported that researchers had found GenX and other similar compounds in the river.
The recent study involved blood samples from 153 people who live in Cumberland and Bladen counties near the Chemours plant. The participants use wells with water that contains GenX.
The blood was tested for a total of 26 PFAS compounds, including GenX and other compounds found in the area. The study also looked for PFAS compounds commonly found in residents of the United States.
GenX was one of four compounds that were not detected, according to a letter sent to participants and a document presented at the meeting. Three of those compounds were associated with the Chemours plant, according to one of the researchers.
“This means that either these PFAS were not present in the blood samples or they were present at levels too low for us to measure with our instrument,” the letter said.
More: Chemours must take more action to address GenX, PFAS contamination, state DEQ officials say
The study found a compound known as Nafion byproduct 2 in more than half the samples, according to the letter.
“Nafion byproduct 2 is a byproduct of production at the Fayetteville Works Facility in North Carolina,” it said. “Therefore, people in the Cape Fear River Basin have been uniquely exposed to Nafion byproduct 2.”
Two other compounds associated with the Chemours plant were found in about 20% or more of the samples, according to the presentation.
Overall, six PFAS compounds were detected somewhat frequently, but 10 were found in less than 10% of the participants, according to the letter.
Five compounds were detected in more than 90% of the samples, it said. They included perfluorooctanoic acid, which is known as PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonate, PFOS.
Exposure to PFOA and PFOS above certain levels may result in adverse health effects, including cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Chemours released a statement saying the test results showing that GenX was not in the blood of the participants is similar to previous studies.
“Once again the results showed that legacy compounds not associated with Chemours manufacturing were the compounds most prevalent in participants,” the statement said.
Chemours officials are not aware of the potential source data from the studies being released, according to the statement. The company provided river sampling data to state officials that included a report from July 2020, it said.
“This report identified that legacy PFAS compounds were present along the sampled length of the Cape Fear River, including parts of the river upstream of the Fayetteville Works site,” the statement said.
Local news editor Steve DeVane can be reached at sdevane@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3572.
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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: GenX compound not found in blood of residents near NC Chemours plant
