GenX is a chemical process or technology for developing advanced polymers. These high-performance products are used in laptops, cable wires, non-stick coatings like Teflon, food wrapper coatings, cellular phones, and other applications.
GenX has replaced perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, which has been used since 2009. PFOAs have four to five years of half-lives to humans. This means that it takes four to five years before half of the compounds can be eliminated in the body.
On the other hand, the half-life of GenX in humans has not yet been established.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet developed a standard water regulation for contaminants. Also, there is limited information concerning this chemical in the water. However, it is sure that in the years to come, the EPA can determine the possible health risks and safety standards for this.
As such, this article will introduce GenX and discuss its possible health risks for humans. We will also discuss some studies conducted regarding GenX concentrations in water.
GenX Chemical
GenX is a mixture of the fluorochemicals found in the Cape Fear River watershed. It is made by combining two molecules of hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) to form the HFPO-DA fluoride. Then, it is converted to ammonium salt, making it the official GenX compound.
Whenever GenX contacts water, the ammonium group is released, making HFPO-DA. Since HFPO-DA is a tough acid, it deprotonates at pH levels that are available in the surroundings. As such, it became the most popular fluorochemical of the Cape Fear River.
Possible Health Risks
GenX, HFPO-DA, the by-products of Nafion, and other compounds are called PFAs (polyfluoroalkyl). According to the EPA, exposure to PFAs can lead to various health effects based on laboratory experiments on rats and monkeys.
Also, some studies on humans show that PFAs can harm the development of unborn children and children. It can even interfere with hormones, decrease the chances of fertility, raise cholesterol levels, weaken the immune system, and increase the chance of the development of cancer.
High Levels of GenX in Cape Fear River
Many years ago, while searching for bromide sources in the Cape Fear River watershed, Detlef Knappe (an NC State Environmental Engineer) discovered high concentrations of GenX and other industrial chemicals in the water. These chemicals have even entered the entire area of North Carolina and affected around 200,000 people.
The scientists' findings have created a dilemma that grows every week. The Cape Fear River watershed is among the largest water sources in the state, serving around 1.5 million people.
According to them, airports, industrial sites, fire-training areas, and wastewater treatment plants contribute to the higher levels of industrial waste in the water.
The Chemours Company
In Wilmington, the emerging levels of GenX and other PFAS chemicals (polyfluoroalkyl) originated from the Chemours Company's manufacturing plants Company owns. The contaminant is a byproduct of the company's vinyl and iter process. It has been in the water since the 1980s.
The Chemours Company is located on 2,870 hectares near the Cape Fear River, which flows 110 km and reaches Wilmington. A 50-km estuary south of the city ends in the Atlantic Ocean.
DuPont operated and built the facility, which was transferred to Chemours in 2015. The company has been manufacturing fluoropolymers since the 1980s.
The plant's current products are Nafion sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based ionic polymers used as fuel cell membranes and to produce sodium hydroxide and chlorine.
For many years, the plant has used the ammonium salt of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as a surfactant, which aids in polymerizing the fluoropolymers.
Previously, 3M Company supplied DuPont with PFOA. However, 3M stopped manufacturing in the USA from 2000 to 2002. This is because there is rising concern about the health effects of perfluorinated chemicals with long chains or eight carbons, including PFOA, which is known to have ill environmental effects.
The article, published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, shows that the concentrations of GenX at the Wilmington source average 631 parts per billion.
Studies show DuPont began producing PFOA at the Fayetteville plant in 2001. As such, they send around 1 kilogram of PFOA to the river each year. After PFOA was removed from the market, DuPont developed a substitute surfactant called GenX.
Since there were not enough studies and standards available, Knappe and his team decided that the 631 parts per billion were already high compared to the EPA’s 70 parts per billion standards for PFOS and PFOA.
State and Local Interventions
Moreover, Knappe said that GenX is more difficult to remove from water than other chemicals. Although the study was published in November 2016, state and local government authorities have not responded.
In March 2017, Knappe also sent warnings, but those warnings have not been answered.
In June 2017, the Star-News correspondent in Wilmington published a story about Knappe's findings. This caused a public outcry among residents and public officials. Then, the company stopped releasing wastewater containing GenX into the Cape Fear River.
Next, the Department of Health and Human Services set a goal to keep the concentration of GenX in the water below 140 parts per trillion. They used studies conducted by the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment to decide. The decision was made quickly, but it was a good one.
Halt of the Chemours Company
North Carolina officials and the Wilmington water utility tried to stop the contamination. However, standard drinking water treatment cannot eliminate polyfluorinated ethers. As such, the state asked the Chemours Company to stop producing vinyl ether instead.
Meanwhile, the Company said that before it produced GenX for commercial purposes, it had a legal agreement with the EPA under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. In such consent dated January 2009, the EPA allowed the company to manufacture GenX’s parent acid, the oxide dimer acid fluoride (HFPO-DA fluoride).
Furthermore, the company said GenX is a sustainable replacement for PFOA in the market. According to them, it has a favorable toxicological profile. As tested in the laboratory, it can be eliminated from animals' bodies. GenX is made using controlled technologies that can reduce the possible risks in the ecosystem.
State officials then revoked Chemours Company's wastewater discharge permit for the fluorochemical production unit. The company now collects the fluorochemical wastewater from a facility in Fayetteville via a tanker tank.
Then, it rails to Deer Park, Texas, for disposal and a deep injection well. As such, the GenX concentrations in the downstream resources have declined.
Unclear Toxicity
Wilmington residents and public health officials are unsure whether drinking water contaminated with GenX chemicals can affect people’s health.
The authorities turned to the European Chemicals Agency for data on GenX to guide drinking water safety. DuPont has registered the manufactured compound in the European Union in previous years under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals law (REACH). DuPont submitted results of two-year chronic toxicity studies involving rats.
Using the available information, the European Union determined how ingesting 1 mg of GenX per kilogram can affect the human body.
After the consultation with the US EPA, the North Carolina authorities set a 140 ppt in drinking water based on the data from the European Union. A public health goal refers to the level of pollution that has no ill effects over a lifetime of people's exposure. Such a number is the metric used, which is for guidance only.
Current Developments
The Knappe team is conducting a study of GenX exposure among New Hanover County residents who consume the public utility water of the lower Cape Fear River.
They were asked to provide blood and urine samples and complete water-use questionnaires. The samples will be used to analyze GenX's effects on the human body.
The study results will be shared with the New Hanover County and the state.
Moreover, they develop filtration materials to help remove GenX from water, especially at home.
Meanwhile, commercial reverse-osmosis units can fit underneath the sink and effectively remove the fluorochemicals.
GenX Standard on Drinking Water
The EPA does not have a national standard for GenX and other related compounds in drinking water. However, the agency has stated that it is starting to address the problem with a panel of scientists.
It brings together scientists specializing in air, water, chemicals, and waste. All offices will work together to set the standard as soon as possible.
Capturing the fluorochemical process wastewater for disposal can address most of the fluorinated compounds in the Cape Fear River. If this practice continues, spills at the plant might be the main concern for future pollution.
The Cape River water flows from the Fayetteville plant to Wilmington in two to three days. If the company can give some warning about the fluorochemical spill, people can rely on the stored water until the contamination subsides.
The Contamination of the Waters
The United States of America is famous for its dream-like lifestyles and Hollywood celebrities. It is also rich in natural resources and clean water, with 100,000 lakes and 250,000 rivers.
Lakes such as Lake Michigan in Chicago, Lake Erie in Cleveland, and rivers like Detroit River in Detroit and the Mississippi River in New Orleans are some of the sources of clean water in the U.S.
Although these sources are plentiful, the volume of clean drinking water is not enough to supply thousands of households. Some of the reasons for this insufficiency are the growing population and the developing society.
As the year passes by, the value of the fertility rate for each country also escalates. Because of that, society must keep up with the needs of these people. The industries and manufacturers develop cheap and convenient entities to help lessen the minor difficulties of the citizens.
Unfortunately, excessive and unguided use of these materials has caused unexpected results, putting people in greater danger.
Marine ecosystems are slowly dying due to garbage being disposed of into the oceans. Plastic and glass bottles spread on the seafloor, and straws are choking living organisms.
Big manufacturers and companies also dispose of chemicals on land and in the seas, polluting the sources and putting the species that depend on them at risk.
One of the harmful entities created by man is GenX. This chemical follows a process that uses 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propanoic acid (FRD-903) and produces heptafluoropropyl 1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene ether (E1) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propanoate (FRD-902) which makes it non-biodegradable and non-hydrolysable by water.
GenX manufactures nonstick coatings, paints, food packaging, cleaning products, firefighting foam, and outdoor fabrics. These chemicals, new to the artificial compounds group, are also known as fluorochemicals.
It was initially produced in 2009 in Fayetteville and manufactured by Chemours to replace PFOA. This chemical was believed to have existed for many years in the environment before being commercially produced as GenX.
However, studies have shown that these GenX compounds could cause contamination on both water and ground, making the resources toxic and carcinogenic.
One good example is the breakout in the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. On September 5, 2017, Chemours halted its materials production after discovering that it was disposing of GenX compounds in the river. This was illegal because the U.S. has laws and standards protecting water sources.
Since the river was the main water source for Brunswick, New Hanover, Bladen, and Pender counties, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the state Department of Health and Human Services have conducted tests to assess the amount of GenX compounds in the water.
On June 19, the departments started collecting surface and groundwater samples from various sites in Fayetteville, such as Wilmington and some locations near the plant.
After this, they immobilized the Chemours from emitting GenX compounds in the river and redirected these waste products into their temporary tanks.
The Department of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services released their preliminary test results on July 14. These updated the health assessments for the concentrations of the chemicals in the drinking water.
Their reports have proved that the water is indeed contaminated, which has prevented them from acquiring their supply from the river.
For two months, they continued getting samples from the same sites and studying the possible effects of GenX on humans and animals. They have also noticed that after making the Chemours stop, the GenX compounds are slowly diminishing.
Experts have also theorized that when a living organism is exposed or has taken water contaminated with GenX, they could develop kidney diseases, liver degeneration, differences in pathology, increased liver and kidney weights, and tumors in the pancreas, liver, and liver tests.
This could also affect one's reproductive system by developing uterine polyps, causing early birth, lowering fetal weight, deformation of fetal skeletal, and delaying puberty. If this person or animal happens not to be treated immediately, then death could be the worst case.
After finding this out, the Brunswick County Government tried to make the Chemours pay for their damages by filing a federal lawsuit. Together with the Cape Fear River Watch and the Southern Environmental Law Center acting as their legal counsel, they have claimed that the Chemours have numerous violations of the Clean Water Act, specifically under section 505(b).
The government has also alleged DuPont because they failed to disclose the studies on the risks from GenX.
Moreover, after the said event, the Cape Fear River Watch, a non-profit organization located in Wilmington, North Carolina, pledged to improve and protect the quality of the water in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin by having activities and promotions on the education regarding the importance of the water sources, their advocacy and the action that must be taken.
The citizens were also alarmed when they learned this. They stopped using tap water and tried to find a new water source. They also tried to build private wells, but the Department of Environmental Quality halted their efforts because even the ground could be contaminated.
In addition, the Department of Environmental Quality plans to continue getting water samples from the vicinity to study these chemicals' possible long-term results.
Due to this continuing research, the people were advised not to get water from the river because the said department didn’t have a concrete list of effects that could happen to them and only had theorems.
The local government has tried its best to supply the needs of the citizens. They have made solutions such as connecting the residence to the municipal water lines, drilling deeper wells, and using a modern filtration system to eliminate the contamination.
They have also improved their ways of cleaning the source to regain its cleanliness. The Chemours have also helped by providing bottled water to the residents and promised to continue this plan until a solution is determined.
Although it may seem like a lot of damage, it is still good that this illegal emission was detected and solutions provided immediately because worse things might happen if these discharges continued. If the water were constantly contaminated, the people and other living organisms that depend on it would suffer damage.
Drinking-Water Alternatives
Each person's health needs can vary. Bottled drinking water is a good alternative to save his family from the unknown health effects of GenX in the water.
However, it must be noted that the makeup of the bottled water must be devoid of other harmful chemicals. Check the manufacturer as well as the other information regarding the bottled water.
Conclusion
More studies are still being conducted to determine the substantial health effects of GenX chemical compounds on humans. However, we must not disregard this threat and take steps to ensure safe drinking water.
Indeed, new approaches and monitoring strategies are needed to ensure the health of household drinking water. It is also crucial that the industry and the authorities agree on a monitoring and permitting scheme.
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