Researchers, state officials to answer questions about safety of Pittsboro’s drinking water

The Haw River at the Bynum Bridge, where elevated concentrations of 1,4-Dioxane and PFAS have been detected. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)

State officials and university researchers will answer questions on Wednesday about the safety of Pittsboro’s drinking water, which contains elevated levels of  1,4-Dioxane and perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), known to harm human health. None of the compounds, of which there are thousands, are regulated by the EPA.

The panelists will share study data, discuss the health risks associated with drinking the water, and answer questions about how the state is addressing the contamination statewide. The event is sponsored by the Haw River Assembly.

• Dr. Heather Stapleton, environmental chemist, Duke University
• Dr. Detlef Knappe, proessor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, NC State University
• Dr. Jamie Bangma, environmental toxicologist, UNC Chapel Hill
• Dr. Zack Moore, state epidemiologist, NC Department of Human Health Services
• Julie Grzyb, permitting officer, NC Department of Environmental Quality

For nearly a decade, Haw River Assembly has been working with academic researchers, local and state agency staff, and affected communities to document and raise awareness around the issue of industrial contaminants in drinking water.

University and EPA researchers found 1,4-Dioxane and several types of PFAS in the Haw River and other state waterways more than five years ago. DEQ tested the Haw River near Bynum last year, and found total concentrations of PFAS in raw water ranging from 926 parts per trillion to 1,981 ppt.

North Carolina Health News reported earlier this summer that Pittsboro had failed to notify residents of PFAS contamination in treated water flowing from their taps. Those concentrations, detected in October 2018, ranged from 17.7 ppt to 109.3 ppt.

DEQ and state health officials have recommended that people not drink water containing more than 10 ppt of a single compound or more than 70 ppt in total.