GenX: Eight years down the line

By Kelly Kenoyer

Published August 8, 2025 at 2:13 PM EDT

The chemical GenX has plagued the Cape Fear Region for decades — though we only found out it was in the river eight years ago. Since then, there’ve been myriad fights: for regulation at the state and federal level, for filtration, and for accountability against the polluter. This week, we’ll have an update on the status of this slow-moving crisis in the Cape Fear.

On today's show, we're talking about the long, perilous story of GenX in the Cape Fear River.

Eight years ago, Cape Fear residents realized they were being slowly poisoned by a Chemours manufacturing plant upriver in Fayetteville. The GenX crisis has defined the lives of many advocates, reporters, and politicians in the time since.

There’s a lot to tell in this story: from discovering the contamination, filtering out contaminants, and the ongoing political fight for protection for more than 1 million people impacted within the watershed.

But it can be overwhelming to come into this city and see years of reporting stretching back nearly a decade. We’re taking today to unpack it: where we came from, where we are now, and where advocates and reporters think we may go next.

Our guests are Vaughn Hagerty, Lisa Sorg, Adam Wagner, and Ben Schachtman, as well as the advocates Kemp Burdette, Harper Peterson, Dana Sargent, Jessica Cannon, and Emily Donovan.

Read More on PFAS in the Cape Fear:

2017: Toxin taints CFPUA drinking water (The StarNews)
2018: GenX: Exposure Study Results Released In Wilmington
2019: GenX: Two Years Burning Down The Road
2020: NC State Receives $7.4 Million To Study PFAS Toxicity And Bioaccumulation
2021: Along the river, Democrats tout Biden’s infrastructure bill, PFAS cleanup dollars and party win
2022: The Cape Fear region has seen decades of PFAS pollution, but still no meaningful regulations
2022: Study: Government agencies don't tell the public how bad PFAS really are
2023: "The water still isn't safe": Locals alarmed over high PFAS levels, private water companies
2024: Cape Fear Business Alliance supports bill making PFAS manufacturers liable for cleanup costs, Wilmington Chamber won’t comment
2025: A Wilmington Republican is once again pushing for Chemours to pay for filtration of forever chemicals
2025: North Carolina House passes Rep. Ted Davis's PFAS liability bill

Music:

If Trees Could Talk by Giving Tree
Delmendra by Blue Dot Sessions
Rabbit One by Masters of Reality
Perspectives by Christian Scott