"Hot off the heels of releasing its PFAS road map last week, EPA has found that a deeply controversial “forever chemical” that has contaminated drinking water in North Carolina is, indeed, toxic to humans and will be subject to a drinking water advisory.

The long-awaited toxicity assessment for GenX marks a key step in the Biden administration’s approach to tackling public health and environmental problems tied to chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

GenX has been linked to liver and blood problems, as well as certain types of cancer. People are exposed to the compound through drinking water, most notoriously in North Carolina, with 350,000 people served water contaminated with GenX.

That national crisis helped catapult current EPA Administrator Michael Regan into the spotlight when, as the former head of North Carolina’s environmental department, he faced off against GenX manufacturer Chemours Co., resulting in a massive consent decree."

E.A. Crunden and Ariel Wittenberg report for E&E News October 25, 2021. [2]