WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Higher amounts of toxic forever chemicals have been linked to wastewater treatment plants, according to a new study.
The report from the national environmental organization Waterkeeper Alliance tested waterways across 19 states, including the Cape Fear River, finding that 98% of the ones tested are contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals. The study analyzed levels upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants, finding 95% of the sampled sites have elevated levels downstream from the plants compared to upstream.
“We found PFAS almost every place we looked, and we found it at significant levels,” said Kelly Hunter Foster, a senior attorney with Waterkeeper Alliance who helped oversee the study…