WILMINGTON (N.C.) – It’s been many years since GenX was discovered in the Cape Fear River. The folks at Clean Cape Fear hope for a different type of present this year.
Clean Cape Fear has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to make Chemours pay for a study that will show us the health effects of chemicals like GenX on the local population.
This petition asks for the EPA’s full authority to order Chemours into paying for human health and toxicity tests on a selected amount of PFAS we know they dumped in the Cape Fear River we were exposed to. Emily Donovan, co-founder Clean Cape Fear, said.
She has not asked for federal intervention before.
This petition was denied by the previous administration, so we have been working under the Biden administration to try and get our petition approved.
The Biden Administration has received four extensions to consider this petition Donovan stated, and they have until December 28th to make a final decision. Donovan said that this will take the participation of all members of our community.
If the epidemiological research was approved, we would ask people for blood samples and to participate in a brief health assessment. Although it is confidential and protected information, it is valuable.
All this information could help answer questions many people have about the chemicals, as well as what possible negative effects they might have on their health.
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