Chemours Are Trying To Keep Documents Sealed

Chemours and DuPont want to keep 21,000 pages of documents sealed—secrets that could reveal the true cost of their PFAS pollution in North Carolina. Environmental groups are fighting back, demanding transparency for communities already scarred by decades of contamination. Let’s unpack the stakes for half a million people.

The Battle for Transparency

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed a motion Monday to intervene in a lawsuit against Chemours and DuPont. The companies want 21,000 pages of documents sealed, claiming they’re “competitively sensitive.” SELC, representing groups like Cape Fear River Watch, argues these papers hold truths about the harm done to North Carolinians. For locals, it’s a fight for answers, not trade secrets.

SELC says the documents reveal the damage from Chemours’ Fayetteville Works plant—past, present, and future. “They’ll help communities understand the harm,” SELC claims, from health risks to property values. Filed in U.S. District Court, the motion speaks for half a million people downstream, desperate for clarity. For families, it’s about knowing what’s poisoned their lives.

In 2017, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority and others sued Chemours and DuPont. For decades, the Fayetteville Works plant dumped PFAS into the Cape Fear River—drinking water for tens of thousands. The plaintiffs want costs covered for cleanup, as utilities in Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender counties bear the burden. For communities, it’s a legacy of betrayal.

PFAS and Its Fallout

PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—number over 14,000. They’re in food containers, carpets, and gear, resisting water and stains. But they don’t break down, accumulating in bodies, linked to cancers, immune issues, and reproductive harm. In North Carolina, they’ve tainted air, soil, and the Cape Fear River. For residents, it’s a silent, persistent threat.

Chemours knowingly discharged PFAS into the Cape Fear for years, a fact exposed in 2017. “They hid their toxic pollution,” says SELC’s Jean Zhuang, and now want to conceal more. Worse, Chemours plans to expand PFAS production at Fayetteville Works, despite a 2019 consent order to cut emissions and test wells. For locals, it’s a trust shattered beyond repair.

The 2019 agreement forces Chemours to provide clean water to homes with contaminated wells. But downstream utilities foot the bill for removing PFAS from raw water sources. “It’s comically transparent,” says Cape Fear River Watch’s Dana Sargent, calling the secrecy sinister as Chemours seeks to expand. For utilities, it’s a financial weight they didn’t create.

The Push for Disclosure

The sealed documents include toxicological data, safety studies, and environmental assessments. SELC notes they detail PFAS pollution, health impacts, and exposure risks—information Chemours and DuPont have publicly hyped in ads. “The public has a right to review,” says Coastal Federation’s Braxton Davis, for full scope of the damage. For advocates, it’s about accountability, not competition.

Clean Cape Fear’s petition to unseal the documents has over 1,700 signatures. “Chemours has no right to hide,” Zhuang argues, after decades of polluting drinking water, air, and soil. The motion highlights that much of this data isn’t new—Chemours has shared similar details publicly to polish its image. For North Carolinians, it’s a demand for truth.

Brooks Pierce Law Firm, representing downstream utilities, says many documents are already public. They were set to respond to Chemours’ motion Monday but didn’t comment by publication. The utilities’ 2017 lawsuit seeks damages for PFAS cleanup costs, a burden they argue Chemours and DuPont should bear. For towns, it’s a plea for justice.

Protecting Your Water

Don’t wait for court rulings—reverse osmosis systems remove PFAS for clean drinking water. Whole-home conditioners ensure water safety across every tap. Act while Chemours hides the truth. It’s your defense against corporate secrecy.

Half a million people deserve to know what’s in their water. PFAS risks—cancers, immune damage—aren’t abstract. With reverse osmosis and whole-home conditioners, you can secure water safety despite Chemours’ sealed secrets. For your family, it’s a step toward safety.

Source: Coastal Review