In 2017, Wilmington’s StarNews uncovered a shocking truth: the Cape Fear River, which supplies drinking water to around 350,000 people, was tainted by toxic chemicals known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The contamination had been happening for decades, courtesy of DuPont and its spin-off company Chemours, which dumped these harmful compounds into the river. The fallout is devastating.
Tom Kennedy, a Wilmington resident, was already fighting for his life when he learned about the contamination. Kennedy had recently finished chemotherapy for stage 2 breast cancer when his diagnosis worsened: the cancer had spread to his brain, rendering him terminal. Though no direct connection has been proven, Kennedy suspects the PFAS exposure played a role in his illness. “I don’t know if it can ever be proven,” he says, “but I’m pretty certain that the PFAS contamination is what led to my cancer.”
PFAS are synthetic chemicals widely used in everyday items—nonstick cookware, stain repellents, food packaging, and firefighting foam. What makes them particularly hazardous is their persistence. Often called “forever chemicals,” they don’t break down in the environment and instead accumulate in the bodies of humans and wildlife. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PFAS can be found in the blood of nearly every American.
Disproportionate Impact on Marginalized Communities
PFAS exposure is a nationwide issue, but certain communities bear the brunt. La’Meshia Whittington, of the NC Black Alliance and Advance Carolina, emphasizes that low-income communities of color are disproportionately affected. These groups often live near polluting facilities, consume fast food packaged with PFAS-laden materials, and reside in homes with contaminated carpeting. Adding insult to injury, these populations are less likely to afford the bottled water and costly filtration systems that could protect them. “It’s the historical legacy and atrocity of cumulative impact that we’ve had to deal with,” says Whittington.
Kara Kenan, from the breast cancer support group Going Beyond the Pink, has been confronting the crisis firsthand. She and her family live just miles from Wilmington. Kenan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, but over the years, other relatives developed even rarer cancers. “It was right around the same time that we started learning about what was in the water, but I hadn’t connected the dots that they might be related yet,” Kenan reflects.
A Deadly Legacy
The health risks associated with PFAS are only beginning to be understood, but early findings are troubling. A 2021 CDC report links PFAS exposure to thyroid problems, fertility issues, asthma, and potentially certain types of cancer. There is even suspicion of a thyroid cancer cluster in Wilmington, located downstream from Chemours’ Fayetteville facility.
In 2018, residents gathered at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listening session to share their painful experiences. Dana Sargent, executive director of Cape Fear River Watch, recalls emotional testimonies from locals affected by rare kidney diseases, miscarriages, and cancer. Sargent’s brother, Grant, passed away at 47 from glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. She believes his work as a firefighter and Marine exposed him to PFAS, which may have contributed to his death. Despite the community’s outcry, the EPA did not record the testimonies.
“We’re not asking them to do anything but their job,” Sargent says. “The whole country knows PFAS are bad. And yet we sit with no regulation on these companies.”
North Carolina’s Inaction
Other states like Michigan and New York have begun limiting PFAS in drinking water, but North Carolina lags behind. Representative Pricey Harrison has been a leading voice for change, introducing multiple bills to regulate PFAS in the state. However, these efforts have repeatedly stalled. “It might pass in California, but not here,” Harrison admits, though she still holds out hope that the state could at least restrict certain uses of PFAS.
Representative Deb Butler, who has worked closely with Harrison, also faces challenges. She sponsored a bill that would require Chemours to cover the cost of a $50 million filtration system for the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority. The system, which uses activated carbon to reduce PFAS levels, is a necessary measure to protect residents’ drinking water.
In 2017, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) filed a lawsuit against Chemours, but only after negative media coverage forced their hand. Despite ongoing reviews of the state’s water quality standards, no regulations on PFAS have been introduced. “People know they’re being poisoned, but the state isn’t doing much about it,” says Corinne Bell, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Local Efforts to Fight Back
Frustrated by government inaction, residents and environmental groups have taken legal action. In 2018, Cape Fear River Watch and the Southern Environmental Law Center sued NCDEQ, forcing Chemours to stop its discharges. They also filed a federal lawsuit against the company for violations of the Clean Water Act, though it was dropped as part of a $13 million settlement. Chemours agreed to cease pollution and install scrubbers to reduce airborne emissions. Yet, NCDEQ has had to fine the company for failing to fully comply, and the contamination continues to linger in the region’s water, soil, and people.
Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, a volunteer watchdog group, is acutely aware of the toll this fight takes. Her husband, David, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Donovan and others believe their community was ignored for too long. “These corporations knew exactly what they were doing, but we were intentionally overlooked by those who were in the know,” she says.
While the 2017 StarNews report shed light on the crisis, it appears the state had knowledge of the PFAS issue a decade earlier. Government scientists had published studies, yet little was done to protect the public. “The chemical industry has for decades found the weaknesses within our governing bodies—which are supposed to protect us—and manipulated them to their strengths,” Donovan argues. “We’re allowing corporations to sidestep ethics and morality, and we’re doing it at the expense of humanity.”
Reverse Osmosis Brings Hope
Despite the uphill battle, some progress has been made. In Brunswick County, just west of Wilmington, public schools have started installing water stations that use reverse osmosis. This technology, which local scientists have found to reduce PFAS by over 94%, provides some hope for communities like Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
However, the Cape Fear region is not alone. Farther north, Pittsboro—a small town in the watershed of the Haw River, a Cape Fear tributary—faces a similar crisis. As the town braces for rapid population growth, PFAS contamination looms as a pressing issue. Emily Sutton, Haw Riverkeeper, advocates for a shift in how chemicals are regulated, calling for companies to prove their safety before discharge. “But it works exactly the opposite way,” she notes. “Chemical companies can create these compounds, without any regard for impacts to human health or the environment, and discharge them until proven guilty.”
The Fight for Accountability
Public health experts insist that enough is already known about the dangers of PFAS. The solution lies in stronger regulation, research, and accountability for chemical companies. “We have enough information to know that this pollution is bad, that it needs to stop being put into the environment, and that we need to clean up what’s already there,” says Bell.
But the question remains: Will North Carolina finally take meaningful steps to protect its people from the water crisis unfolding in its own backyard?
Reverse Osmosis: A Lifeline for Contaminated Communities
For those grappling with PFAS contamination, reverse osmosis provides a proven method of water purification. This technology forces water through a membrane that removes harmful substances like PFAS, reducing contamination levels by over 90%. In addition to individual systems, whole-home water conditioners can further safeguard households by treating water before it reaches the tap. For areas like Cape Fear and beyond, these solutions offer an essential line of defense against the persistent threat of “forever chemicals.”
Source: NRDC