Researchers discover new forever chemicals in Cape Fear River

Name: Researchers discover new forever chemicals in Cape Fear River
Uploaded: 2023-12-20T23:43:59.000Z
Duration: 2 min 43 s
Description: Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified 11 additional types of PFAS in the Cape Fear River, including eight that were previously unknown to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified 11 additional types of PFAS in the Cape Fear River, including eight that were previously unknown to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Posted 12/20/2023, 11:43:59 PM Updated 12/21/2023, 1:58:08 AM

MISSION FOR BETTER.

>> AFTER YEARS OF LEGAL ACTION

SURROUNDING FOREVER CHEMICAL

CONTAMINATION IN DRINKING WATER

FROM FAYETTEVILLE TO WILMINGTON

RESEARCHERS AT UNC CHAPEL HILL

HAVE DISCOVERED 11 ADDITIONAL

TYPES OF THE CHEMICALS IN THE

CAPE FEAR RIVER. WREL, CLIMATE

CHANGE REPORTER LIZ MCLAUGHLIN

SHOWS US WHAT SCIENTISTS FOUND

AND WHAT IT MEANS.

>> THERE ARE MORE THAN 10,000

TYPES OF THESE FOREVER.

CHEMICALS ALSO KNOWN AS P FAST,

A RESEARCH TEAM IN THIS UNC

LAB UTILIZED A NEW TESTING

PROCESS WITH THIS EQUIPMENT

TO DISCOVER P FAST COMPOUND

THAT THE EPA DIDN'T EVEN KNOW

EXISTED. REVEALING A NEW LAYER

TO NORTH CAROLINA'S

CONTAMINATION CRISIS. WE HAD

11 NEW MASSIVE NUMBERS.

>> DETECTIVE WORK AND A UNIQUE

PROCESS ALLOWED. PROFESSOR ERIN

BAKER AND HER TEAM TO VERIFY

11 TYPES OF P FAST IN THE CAPE

FEAR. 8 OF THOSE DISCOVERED FOR

THE FIRST TIME SOMETIMES

INDUSTRIES MAKE CHEMICALS AND

THEY DON'T HAVE TO REPORT ON

THE SOURCE OF THE CHEMICALS IS

UNCLEAR. BUT THE MAJORITY OF

THE SAMPLES WERE TAKEN NEAR

THE COME ORR'S FAYETTEVILLE

WORKS PLANT WHERE OTHER PEOPLE

ASKED CHEMICALS FOUND IN THE

RIVER WERE MANUFACTURED.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT,

ESPECIALLY IF WE SEE CHANGES

IN THE HEALTH OF DIFFERENT

COMMUNITIES BECAUSE THEN WE

MIGHT NEED TO KNOW WHAT

CHEMICALS THEY'RE BEING EXPOSED

TO RAISING QUESTIONS FOR

RESIDENTS WHO RELY ON THE CAPE

FEAR IS THEIR DRINKING WATER

SUPPLY?

>> IS IT HARMFUL TO OUR HEALTH

TO HER FAMILY, HER COMMUNITY

TOWARD BYRON? IT.

>> HARPER PETERSON IS A FATHER

OF 5 AND FORMER MAYOR OF

WILMINGTON WHO THINKS CHEMICAL

CONTAMINATION COULD HAVE PLAYED

A ROLE IN HIS WIFE'S HEALTH

ISSUES AND CANCER CASES IN HIS

COMMUNITY. AND THIS HUMAN

TRAGEDY PRODUCE EVERYONE I

COULD DO BEGIN TO SHARE WITH

YOU. SOME OF THE HEARTBREAKING

STORIES.

>> ADVOCATES LIKE EMILY DONOVAN

SAY THERE SHOULD BE MORE

REGULATIONS FOR P FAST

CHEMICALS. SURE IF THEY'RE

MAKING MONEY OFF OF THIS

CHEMISTRY, THEN THEY SHOULD

KNOW WHAT EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE

MAKING, WHAT THEY'RE

UNINTENTIONALLY RELEASING, WHAT

THEY ARE INTENTIONALLY

RELEASING. THE EPA IS WORKING

LIST OF PEACE FAST ALREADY HAD

MORE THAN 14,000 SUBSTANCES

AND NOW A HANDFUL MORE. BUT

THAT MAY JUST BE THE TIP OF

THE ICEBERG. THERE'S A LOT OF

CHEMICALS WE PROBABLY DON'T

KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE IN OUR

ENVIRONMENT.

>> RESEARCHERS HERE SAY THEY'RE

NOW IN THE PROCESS OF

COLLABORATING WITH AGENCIES AND

OTHER UNIVERSITIES TO UNCOVER

THE PROPERTIES AND POTENTIAL

HEALTH IMPACTS OF THESE NEWLY

DISCOVERED COMPOUND IN CHAPEL

HILL. I'M LIZ MCLAUGHLIN, WRAL

NEWS.

>> WE REACHED OUT TO COME

MOORE'S BUT THEY DIDN'T RESPOND

TO OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER

THE SUBSTANCES FOUND IN THE

STUDY WERE USED WERE

MANUFACTURED AT THEIR FACILITY.

YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT

FOREVER CHEMICALS BY WATCHING

THE ORIGINAL WRAL DOCUMENTARY