Recent actions to protect the right to clean water.

The level of perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) pollution, or “forever chemicals,” in key coastal fish species is dangerously high—and state regulators announce new warnings and tougher safety standards in response.

First, state health officials at the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) have issued warnings about eating certain fish caught from the middle and lower Cape Fear River, due to high levels of forever chemicals in the fish. Included in the warnings are some of the most popular recreational fishing species, including largemouth bass, striped bass, and bluegills. Children and women of childbearing age are at special risk. The risk standards used reference the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) calculations on avoiding adverse impacts from long-term exposure.

Also last week, the NC Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) petitioned the NC Environmental Management Commission (EMC) to set enforceable limits on several types of PFAS in surface water and groundwater. PFAS contamination has been widely documented in North Carolina waters, including the Cape Fear and Haw Rivers. The timing of the request is significant, since it would permit implementation of new rules by September 2024, before the end of Governor Roy Cooper’s term of office.

Read more about recent federal action to protect communities against PFAS.