Update on GenX and Brunswick County: June 13, 2017

BOLIVIA, NC – Brunswick County takes seriously its commitment to providing safe, quality drinking water to its citizens and customers. Recent media reports have raised questions about the safety of Brunswick County’s water supply due to the presence of the chemical GenX in the Cape Fear River, from which Brunswick County draws portions of its raw water supply. Brunswick County Public Utilities treats raw water per federal and state standards before being supplied to the public for consumption and maintains a robust sampling and monitoring schedule to ensure its safety.  Brunswick County’s water system meets or exceeds all EPA and state standards regarding water quality.

Brunswick County health officials have maintained close contact with the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB) of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services regarding this issue. According to OEEB, there are no U.S. regulatory guideline levels for GenX. However, as part of the European chemical registration, a 2-year chronic toxicity and cancer study with rats was performed. Based upon this study, the amount found in the Cape Fear River is equivalent to less than 1% of the Derived No-Effect Level (DNEL) of GenX in drinking water.

“We are grateful for the professionals within Brunswick County Public Utilities for the consistent job that they do,” said Cris Harrelson, Brunswick County Health Director. “Clean, safe drinking water has historically been a hallmark of public health, contributing immensely to longer lifespans as well as improved quality of life for our citizens.”

Brunswick County will continue to share information with the public as new information on this issue is known, including posting updates at www.brunswickcountync.gov/genx.