A planned water treatment facility in Socastee will have to grapple with filtering out dangerous “forever chemicals” that traditional treatment processes don’t remove, according to a recent lawsuit filing.
Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority filed the lawsuit against three industrial companies with facilities in South Carolina — one that hasn’t operated since 2004— for allegedly discharging wastewater with PFAS chemicals into rivers and creeks that flow into the confluence of the Waccamaw River and Intracoastal Waterway, where the authority is building its new plant.
PFAS, often referred to as forever chemicals, are a class of toxic compounds that are of increasing concern nationally, as more is learned about their health effects, The State has reported. Exposure to forever chemicals has been linked to certain types of cancer, immune system deficiencies, thyroid problems and other ailments. Once the chemicals get into people’s blood, it can take years to expel the toxins. There are thousands of different types of forever chemicals, many of which are toxic…