GenX Chemical from Chemours Plant Not Found in Blood, But Other Compounds Present

A potentially dangerous compound linked to a chemical plant in North Carolina was not found in the bloodstreams of nearby residents, but high levels of similar chemicals were detected, according to a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The Fayetteville Observer reported that after the compound known as GenX, produced at the Chemours facility near Fayetteville, and other chemicals had been found in hundreds of private wells near the plant and in the Cape Fear River, the study was launched to check residents’ blood levels.

GenX, used in food packaging, paints, cleaning products and fire-fighting foam, was developed to replace a compound known as PFOA, which has been linked to cancer. But GenX has been shown to cause some of the same health problems, including liver damage, according to news reports.

The study, led by researchers from two North Carolina universities and from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, did not find GenX in people’s blood, but it did find other compounds, some of which have been produced at the Chemours facility.

Five compounds were detected in more than 90% of the samples, the study report said. They included perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonate, PFOS. Overall, six compounds known as PFAS chemicals were detected somewhat frequently, but 10 were found in less than 10% of the participants.

The study found a compound known as Nafion byproduct 2 in more than half the samples, the newspaper reported.

“Nafion byproduct 2 is a byproduct of production at the Fayetteville Works Facility in North Carolina,” the study report said. “Therefore, people in the Cape Fear River Basin have been uniquely exposed to Nafion byproduct 2.”

Chemours, a spinoff of the DuPont chemical corporation, has been under scrutiny for several years because of compounds found in North Carolina drinking water. The company released a statement noting that previous studies have shown that GenX is not in nearby residents’ bloodstreams.

“Once again the results showed that legacy compounds not associated with Chemours manufacturing were the compounds most prevalent in participants,” the statement said.