Now is your chance to speak out on forever chemicals in North Carolina’s water!
The NC Environmental Management Commission (NCEMC) is writing the rules that will govern how these toxic forever chemicals are regulated and monitored across North Carolina. Currently the EMC is running concurrent hearings on PFAS and 1,4 Dioxane Minimization and Monitoring rules.
However, the rules up for comment are WEAK, as they do not require polluters to reduce their toxic discharge, and do not impose consequences even if polluters increase their toxic dischargers.
These rules would allow nearly 500 industries to continue dumping their toxic discharge into NC rives and drinking water supplies. These are polluter written rules, set to minimize nothing but the protection of NC water.
Speak at a public hearing, or submit a comment online by June 15th
The North Carolina EMC is running concurrent public hearings. You will be given 3 minutes to speak. Urge the EMC to pass stronger rules and enforce strong limits on PFAS and 1,4 Dioxane to protect NC drinking water!
Upcoming Public Hearings
- PFAS Hearings
- April 7- Asheville, 6pm- Ferguson Auditorium, AB-Tech Community College, 19 Tech Drive, Asheville, N.C., 28801
- April 20- Raleigh, 6pm- Archdale Building, Ground Floor Hearing Room, 512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, N.C., 27604
- April 23- Wilmington, 6pm- Wilmington City Hall at Skyline Center, 1st Floor Conference Center, 929 North Front St., Wilmington, 28401
- 1, 4 Dioxane Hearings
- April 9- Hickory, 6pm- Catawba County St. Stephens Branch Library, 3225 Springs Road, Hickory, N.C., 28601
- April 14- Fayetteville, 6pm- Fayetteville Technology Community College, Tony Rand Student Center multipurpose room, 2220 Hull Rd. Fayetteville, N.C., 28303
- May 12- Jamestown, 6pm- Percy H. Sears Applied Technologies Building Auditorium, Guilford Technical Community College, 1201 Bonner Dr., Jamestown, N.C., 27282
Sign in and speaker registration beings at 5pm.
To submit a comment online, email your written comment to publiccomments@deq.nc.gov, with the subject line “PFAS Minimization” or“1,4-dioxane minimization.” Comments are due by June 15th.
What are PFAS?
PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in industrial and manufacturing processes since the 1940’s. These chemicals were first created due to their unique ability to resist water and grease.
PFAS are found in:
- Nonstick cookware
- Food packing
- Water resistance clothing
- Stain-resistant products
- Cosmetics
- and much more
Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are highly persistent, synthetic chemicals that do not break down in the environment or the human body, causing significant environmental and health risks. Due to their widespread use in industrial processes, these chemicals are being dumped into NC’s rivers and drinking water supplies. More than 3.5 million North Carolinians drink water contaminated with unsafe levels of PFAS.
Health issues linked to PFAS exposure:
- Thyroid Diseases
- Kidney Disease
- Hormone Disruption (reproductive impairment)
- Cardiovascular Illnesses
- Developmental Harm to Children and Infants
What is 1,4 Dioxane?
1, 4 Dioxane is a synthetic, colorless liquid, used as an industrial solvent. It is often created as a byproduct of plastic polymer production. 1, 4 Dioxane is being dumped into drinking water supplies as discharge from these industrial companies that it is used/created as a byproduct. Conventional drinking water treatment systems cannot remove 1, 4 Dioxane from water.
1, 4 Dioxane is a known human carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancers through exposure. Long-term exposure has also been linked to liver and kidney damage.
North Carolina has some of the worst 1, 4 Dioxane pollution in the nation. The City of Asheboro allows industrial facility StarPET to pass its contaminated wastewater discharge to the city treatment plant, where 1, 4 Dioxane cannot be removed. This has led to contaminated water being dumped into the Deep and Cape Fear Rovers, threating the drinking water of nearly 900,000 downstream residents. Learn more here.
Clean Water for North Carolina in the news- Asheville Public Hearing
Clean Water for North Carolina is working to protect NC water from these toxic forever chemicals. We attend the Asheville public hearing to speak out on PFAS. Western North Carolina’s water is nothing to play with. We can’t let polluters write the rules to the game.
Read this article from Mountain XPress
Quoting CWFNC’s Western EJ Organizer/Researcher, Crystal Norford, saying, “As an organization which first worked to hold DuPont accountable for releases of the legacy PFAS PFOA or C-8 in 2003, we know Chemours and other industries will do nothing to reduce their pollution unless they are held to strict limits. We do not lack data on these forever chemicals, we lack action.”
Attend a public hearing or submit a comment online- telling NC regulators to enforce stronger limits on forever chemicals in our water!
