Delaware-based Chemours to remove chemical from North Carolina water

A company says it will remove an unregulated chemical from wastewater that’s been dumped in the Cape Fear River in North Carolina for more than 35 years.

Chemours of Wilmington, Delaware, said Tuesday it will capture the GenX chemical and dispose of it.

North Carolina Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan said in a statement Tuesday evening the company’s move is a step in the right direction. But Regan said his agency and the Department of Health and Human Services will continue to investigate the chemical in the water.

A spokeswoman for the federal Environmental Protection Agency said it will determine whether Chemours is in compliance with regulations at a plant upstream in Fayetteville.

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The StarNews of Wilmington reported earlier that researchers are trying to determine whether GenX causes health problems.

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