Is PFOA's Replacement Just As Dangerous For Drinking Water?

Is the chemical used to replace perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) just as dangerous to drinking water as the original?

GenX, a persistent and toxic industrial chemical used to replace PFOA, has been detected in North Carolina drinking water.

“DuPont introduced GenX in 2009 to replace PFOA, a compound it used to manufacture Teflon and coatings for stain-resistant carpeting, waterproof clothing, and many other consumer products,” The Intercept reported.

“PFOA was phased out after DuPont was hit with a class-action suit over health and environmental concerns. Yet ... GenX is associated with some of the same health problems as PFOA, including cancer and reproductive issues,” the report said.

A study published last year by Environmental Science & Technology Letters homed in on drinking water contamination by GenX.

“Levels of GenX in the drinking water of one North Carolina water utility, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, averaged 631 ppt (parts per trillion),” The Intercept reported, citing the journal study.

The U.S. EPA responded to questions from The Intercept about why GenX is not regulated:

EPA is committed to protecting public health and supporting states and public water systems as the appropriate steps to address the presence of GenX in drinking water are determined. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA undertakes extensive evaluations of contaminants and uses the best available peer reviewed science to identify and regulate contaminants that present meaningful opportunities for health risk reduction. While EPA has not established a drinking water regulation, health advisory or health based benchmark for GenX in drinking water, the agency is working closely with the states and public water systems to determine the appropriate next steps to ensure public health protection.

An investigation by North Carolina regulators into the potential threat of GenX is ongoing.

“The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), in consultation with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, is leading a state investigation into reports of an unregulated chemical known as GenX in the lower Cape Fear River. As part of the probe, DEQ strongly encouraged Chemours, the company that produces the chemical at its facility in Fayetteville, to identify any measures it could take to reduce or eliminate the discharge of the chemical into the river,” according to DEQ.

Chemours says it will capture, remove, and dispose of wastewater that contains GenX, according to DEQ.

“This is a good step, but DEQ and DHHS are continuing to investigate the levels of GenX in the lower Cape Fear region and develop the best available information on potential health risks associated with the chemical,” DEQ says.