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Scientists detected high levels of two under-the-radar PFAS chemicals in blood serum samples from residents of Wilmington, North Carolina, collected before the local fluorochemical manufacturing plant began taking measures in 2017 to halt the flow of “forever chemicals” into the community’s drinking water.
The study, published October 27 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, adds to growing concerns that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) consisting of shorter chains of carbon atoms don’t actually offer a safe alternative to the longer-chain PFAS chemicals they often replace, and comes as the chemical company Chemours seeks permission from state regulators to expand PFAS production at the Fayetteville Works facility, the plant that contaminated Wilmington’s water. The company also applied last spring for a wastewater discharge permit that would allow it to continue releasing so-called “ultra-short chain” PFAS, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)…