Last June, The Wilmington Star Newsbroke news that the toxic chemicalGenX was found in drinking water from the Cape Fear River. Long before their investigative series was published, theNorth Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) knew about the elevated levels of GenX. Once the news of tainted water spread through the state, so did fears and concerns from residents, government officials and environmental groups.
Since then, GenX has been found in the water, soil and air around the plant. After months of silence, Chemours has scheduled a series of town hall meetings and opened its plant to the local media.
WQHR reporter Vince Winkel was there and met with the plant manager. He has been following this story from Wilmington and talks with host Frank Stasio about the latest efforts by the Southern Environmental Law Center to protect the environment and the media blitz Chemours has launched in hopes of building trust in the community.
