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41-539: Buies Creek is a 7.31 mi (11.76 km) long 3rd order tributary to the Cape Fear River in Harnett County, North Carolina , United States. Buies Creek rises about 1.5 miles southeast of Angier and then flows south to join the Cape Fear River about 1 mile southwest of Buies Creek . Buies Creek drains 27.91 square miles (72.3 km) of area, receives about 46.7 in/year of precipitation, has

82-621: A dam to fail, which caused a mass leakage of coal ash into the Cape Fear River about 5 miles northwest of Wilmington, North Carolina. GenX is a chemical in the group of manmade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS used for nonstick, water- and stain-repellent items. GenX is a replacement PFAS, since older and more toxic PFAs are being phased out. GenX is made at the Chemours plant in Fayetteville, NC and has gotten into

123-568: A field study published in 2021 by researchers at Stockholm University found that they are often transferred from water to air when waves reach land, are a significant source of air pollution , and eventually get into rain. The researchers concluded that pollution may impact large areas. In 2024, a worldwide study of 45,000 groundwater samples found that 31% of samples contained levels of PFAS that were harmful to human health; these samples were taken from areas not near any obvious source of contamination. Current studies aimed at minimizing POPs in

164-459: A major sources for human exposure via inhalation and ingestion. Furthermore, significant indoor POP pollution must be a major route of human POP exposure, considering the modern trend in spending larger proportions of life indoors. Several studies have shown that indoor (air and dust) POP levels to exceed outdoor (air and soil) POP concentrations. In 2022, levels of at least four perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in rain water worldwide greatly exceeded

205-857: A national study of tap water found the highest concentration of PFAS in Brunswick County , which gets its drinking water from the Cape Fear River. In July 2023, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued a fish consumption advisory for certain freshwater fish species from the middle and lower Cape Fear River due to contamination with perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Suspended solids refers to any particle (living or nonliving) discharged into an aquatic system that remains in suspension. These particles can find their way into rivers via nonpoint-source pollution or through larger point-source pollution events such as Hurricane Florence in 2018. The storm caused

246-615: A particular location, government agencies may produce a human health risk assessment which takes into account the pollutants' bioavailability and their dose-response relationships . The majority of POPs are known to disrupt normal functioning of the endocrine system. Low level exposure to POPs during critical developmental periods of fetus, newborn and child can have a lasting effect throughout their lifespan. A 2002 study summarizes data on endocrine disruption and health complications from exposure to POPs during critical developmental stages in an organism's lifespan. The study aimed to answer

287-464: A wetness index of 492.65 and is about 22% forested. This article related to a river in North Carolina is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cape Fear River The river is the most industrialized river in North Carolina, lined with power plants, manufacturing plants, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, paper mills, and industrial agriculture. Relatedly, the river

328-558: Is enhanced (or depressed) by the presence of other compounds in the mixture. When put together, the effects can far exceed the approximated additive effects of the POP compound mixture. Traditionally it was thought that human exposure to POPs occurred primarily through food , however indoor pollution patterns that characterize certain POPs have challenged this notion. Recent studies of indoor dust and air have implicated indoor environments as

369-473: Is polluted by various substances, including suspended solids and manmade chemicals. These chemicals include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), GenX , perfluorooctanesulfonic acid , perfluorooctanoic acid , byproducts of production of the fluoropolymer Nafion ; and intermediates used to make other fluoropolymers (e.g. PPVE, PEVE and PMVE perfluoroether ). Industrial chemicals such as 1,4-Dioxane and other pollutants have been found in its tributary,

410-641: The Arctic Circle . POPs can be present as vapors in the atmosphere or bound to the surface of solid particles ( aerosols ). A determining factor for the long-range transport is the fraction of a POP that is adsorbed on aerosols. In adsorbed form it is – as opposed to the gas phase – protected from photo-oxidation, i.e. direct photolysis as well as oxidation by OH radicals or ozone. POPs have low solubility in water but are easily captured by solid particles, and are soluble in organic fluids ( oils , fats , and liquid fuels ). POPs are not easily degraded in

451-668: The Deep and Haw Rivers just below Jordan Lake . It flows southeast past Lillington , Fayetteville , and Elizabethtown , then receives the Black River about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Wilmington . At Wilmington, it receives the Northeast Cape Fear River and Brunswick River , turns south, widening as an estuary and entering the Atlantic about 3 miles (5 km) west of Cape Fear. During

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492-549: The Haw River . In 2020, a national study of tap water found the highest concentration of PFAS in Brunswick County , which gets its drinking water from the Cape Fear River. According to the Geographic Names Information System , the Cape Fear River has also been known historically as: It is formed at Haywood , near the county line between Lee and Chatham Counties, by the confluence of

533-619: The colonial era , the river provided a principal transportation route to the interior of North Carolina. Today the river is navigable as far as Fayetteville through a series of locks and dams . The estuary of the river furnishes a segment of the route of the Intracoastal Waterway . The East Coast Greenway runs along the river. The Cape Fear River is polluted by industry, cities, and farmland in its drainage basin . The pollution comes from both point source and nonpoint sources , including farms, city runoff, and erosion of

574-647: The fatty tissues of living organisms including human tissues for long periods of time. Persistent chemicals tend to have higher concentrations and are eliminated more slowly. Dietary accumulation or bioaccumulation is another hallmark characteristic of POPs, as POPs move up the food chain, they increase in concentration as they are processed and metabolized in certain tissues of organisms. The natural capacity for animals gastrointestinal tract to concentrate ingested chemicals, along with poorly metabolized and hydrophobic nature of POPs, makes such compounds highly susceptible to bioaccumulation. Thus POPs not only persist in

615-419: The gas phase under certain environmental temperatures and volatilize from soils , vegetation , and bodies of water into the atmosphere , resisting breakdown reactions in the air, to travel long distances before being re-deposited. This results in accumulation of POPs in areas far from where they were used or emitted, specifically environments where POPs have never been introduced such as Antarctica , and

656-494: The male reproductive system , such as decreased sperm quality and quantity, altered sex ratio and early puberty onset. For females exposed to POPs, altered reproductive tissues and pregnancy outcomes as well as endometriosis have been reported. A Greek study from 2014 investigated the link between maternal weight gain during pregnancy, their PCB -exposure level and PCB level in their newborn infants, their birth weight , gestational age , and head circumference. The lower

697-723: The "dirty dozen", of chemicals that are classified as POPs. As of 2024, the United States has signed the Stockholm Convention but has not ratified it. There are a handful of other countries that have not ratified the convention but most countries in the world have ratified the convention. In May 1995, the UNEP Governing Council investigated POPs. Initially the Convention recognized only twelve POPs for their adverse effects on human health and

738-442: The Cape Fear River from the plant's wastewater. Like other PFAS, GenX does not easily break down and can accumulate in the environment. Because of this quality, GenX can cause problems for both people and wildlife. Chemours' wastewater put into the Cape Fear River poses a drinking-water issue for residents of the Fayetteville area and people further down the river. Several groundwater wells in Fayetteville had detections of GenX. At

779-461: The EPA's lifetime drinking water health advisories as well as comparable Danish, Dutch, and European Union safety standards, leading to the conclusion that "the global spread of these four PFAAs in the atmosphere has led to the planetary boundary for chemical pollution being exceeded". It had been thought that PFAAs would eventually end up in the oceans, where they would be diluted over decades, but

820-751: The GenX chemical. However, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has set a “health goal”, a non-regulated, and non-enforceable low contamination level where no side effects, over time, would be expected. Little is known about the effectiveness of GenX and PFEA removal from contaminated waters using methods such as ozonation and bio-filtration. Carbon in various forms can be used to treat water that has been contaminated. Experiments done with this technique showed that shorter PFAS did not absorb.     Featured in Season 4 of

861-492: The Stockholm Convention include aldrin , chlordane , dieldrin , endrin , heptachlor , HCB , mirex , toxaphene , PCBs , DDT , dioxins , and polychlorinated dibenzofurans . However, there have since been many new POPs added (e.g. PFOS ). POPs typically are halogenated organic compounds (see lists below) and as such exhibit high lipid solubility . For this reason, they bioaccumulate in fatty tissues . Halogenated compounds also exhibit great stability reflecting

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902-575: The [TV series] "Outlander". Season 4 of Outlander, on IMDB Persistent organic pollutant Persistent organic pollutants ( POPs ) are organic compounds that are resistant to degradation through chemical , biological , and photolytic processes. They are toxic and adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released. The effect of POPs on human and environmental health

943-511: The birth weight and head circumference of the infants was, the higher POP levels during prenatal development had been, but only if mothers had either excessive or inadequate weight gain during pregnancy. No correlation between POP exposure and gestational age was found. A 2013 case-control study conducted 2009 in Indian mothers and their offspring showed prenatal exposure of two types of organochlorine pesticides ( HCH , DDT and DDE ) impaired

984-416: The critical development time frames are in utero , in ovo , and during reproductive periods. In humans, the critical development timeframe is during fetal development . The same study in 2002 with evidence of a link from POPs to endocrine disruption also linked low dose exposure of POPs to reproductive health effects. The study stated that POP exposure can lead to negative health effects especially in

1025-452: The environment are investigating their behavior in photocatalytic oxidation reactions . POPs that are found in humans and in aquatic environments the most are the main subjects of these experiments. Aromatic and aliphatic degradation products have been identified in these reactions. Photochemical degradation is negligible compared to photocatalytic degradation. A method of removal of POPs from marine environments that has been explored

1066-449: The environment due to their stability and low decomposition rates. Due to this capacity for long-range transport, POP environmental contamination is extensive, even in areas where POPs have never been used, and will remain in these environments years after restrictions implemented due to their resistance to degradation. Bioaccumulation of POPs is typically associated with the compounds high lipid solubility and ability to accumulate in

1107-465: The environment, but also as they are taken in by animals they bioaccumulate, increasing their concentration and toxicity in the environment. This increase in concentration is called biomagnification, which is where organisms higher up in the food chain have a greater accumulation of POPs. Bioaccumulation and long-range transport are the reason why POPs can accumulate in organisms like whales, even in remote areas like Antarctica. The Stockholm Convention

1148-409: The environment, placing a global ban on these particularly harmful and toxic compounds and requiring its parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs in the environment. Since 2001, this list has been expanded to include some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), brominated flame retardants , and other compounds. Additions to the initial 2001 Stockholm Convention list are

1189-408: The following POPs: POP exposure may cause developmental defects, chronic illnesses, and death. Some are carcinogens per IARC , possibly including breast cancer . Many POPs are capable of endocrine disruption within the reproductive system , the central nervous system , or the immune system . People and animals are exposed to POPs mostly through their diet, occupationally, or while growing in

1230-420: The growth of the fetus , reduced the birth weight, length, head circumference and chest circumference. Evaluation of the effects of POPs on health is very challenging in the laboratory setting. For example, for organisms exposed to a mixture of POPs, the effects are assumed to be additive . Mixtures of POPs can in principle produce synergistic effects . With synergistic effects, the toxicity of each compound

1271-467: The mouth of the river, the city of Wilmington uses the Cape Fear as a drinking-water source. Blood samples of a group of Wilmington residents showed detections of GenX. In several studies, GenX has been shown to affect wildlife. PFAS were detected in striped bass caught from the Cape Fear, and the chemical affected the liver and immune system. In plants, GenX reduced the biomass and bioaccumulated in

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1312-648: The nonreactivity of C-Cl bonds toward hydrolysis and photolytic degradation . The stability and lipophilicity of organic compounds often correlates with their halogen content, thus polyhalogenated organic compounds are of particular concern. They exert their negative effects on the environment through two processes: long range transport, which allows them to travel far from their source, and bioaccumulation, which reconcentrates these chemical compounds to potentially dangerous levels. Compounds that make up POPs are also classed as PBTs (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic) or TOMPs (toxic organic micro pollutants). POPs enter

1353-419: The organism. This bioaccumulation did differ between species. In a study done to test the ability of retention and how could the GenX chemical be transported in porous materials, results showed that for different forms of the GenX chemical the absorption rate was higher. This research is important to help future researchers understand the tendencies of this chemical. Contaminated sites should be inspected from

1394-401: The potential human and environmental toxicity of POPs. They recognize that POPs have the potential for long-range transport and bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The convention seeks to study and then judge whether or not a number of chemicals that have been developed with advances in technology and science can be categorized as POPs. The initial meeting in 2001 made a preliminary list, termed

1435-474: The question whether or not chronic, low level exposure to POPs can have a health impact on the endocrine system and development of organisms from different species. The study found that exposure of POPs during a critical developmental time frame can produce a permanent changes in the organisms path of development. Exposure of POPs during non-critical developmental time frames may not lead to detectable diseases and health complications later in their life. In wildlife,

1476-612: The river had 40 times the amount of PFAS in their blood than did bass raised in an aquaculture facility. In 2020, studies by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality found "staggering" concentrations of forever chemicals begin dumped into the Deep River, a major tributary to the Cape Fear River. One sample contained PFOS at 1 part per billion, "more than 14 times greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's health advisory of 70 parts per trillion for drinking water", North Carolina Heath News reported. In 2020,

1517-497: The river's banks, which contribute pollution such as harmful chemicals and fertilizers, and larger sediments like suspended solids. Pollutants include coal ash. As with any river, the water quality varies in different regions, depending on abiotic and biotic factors. In 2020, a study found that striped bass in the river have the highest rates of PFAS documented in North American fish. A 2018 study found that bass from

1558-484: The water to the soil due to the ability of GenX to travel/transport through porous material such as soil. The lack of information on the GenX chemical in North Carolina has led to the gap of knowledge about ways in which people may be exposed to these chemicals other than drinking water. Information is also limited on the health effects caused by the GenX chemical, little experiments on animals show liver damage, pancreas damage, etc. There are no federal guidelines regarding

1599-458: The womb. For humans not exposed to POPs through accidental or occupational means, over 90% of exposure comes from animal product foods due to bioaccumulation in fat tissues and bioaccumulate through the food chain. In general, POP serum levels increase with age and tend to be higher in females than males. Studies have investigated the correlation between low level exposure of POPs and various diseases. In order to assess disease risk due to POPs in

1640-621: Was adopted and put into practice by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on May 22, 2001. The UNEP decided that POP regulation needed to be addressed globally for the future. The purpose statement of the agreement is "to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants." As of 2024, there are 185 countries plus the European Union have ratified the Stockholm Convention. The convention and its participants have recognized

1681-494: Was discussed, with intention to eliminate or severely restrict their production, by the international community at the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. Most POPs are pesticides or insecticides , and some are also solvents , pharmaceuticals , and industrial chemicals. Although some POPs arise naturally (e.g. from volcanoes), most are man-made. The "dirty dozen" POPs identified by

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