Brunswick County tops the national list for PFAS contamination. (1) PFAS are called “forever chemicals” for their inability to break down in the environment. Research has indicated exposure, even at extremely low doses, can lead to cancer, liver disease, decreased fertility, and effects on the immune system (2).

Living in Brunswick County means you are drinking PFAS, cooking with them, bathing in them, swimming in them, watering your yard and garden with them, giving them to your pets and more. The best option is to install a whole-house RO Filter System (which is expensive). At a minimum, plan on installing an under-counter RO water system for drinking and cooking. Or better yet, move somewhere else with public water that isn’t detrimental to your health.

In addition to PFAS, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) database — which uses its own health-protective guidelines — shows that Brunswick County’s water contains multiple contaminants at levels far above health recommendations (3):

Contaminants with levels above EWG health guidelines (from EWG’s analysis)

1,4-Dioxane: ~1.78 ppb (~5 times EWG health guideline) – a solvent linked to cancer risk.

PFOS: ~10.5 ppt (~35 times EWG guideline).

PFOA: ~5.24 ppt (~58 times EWG guideline).

GenX: ~5.71 ppt (~5.7 times guideline).

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs): ~41 ppb (~275 times guideline) – formed during disinfection and linked to cancer risks.

Haloacetic acids (HAA5/HAA9): hundreds of times over health guideline levels.

Multiple other disinfection byproducts and contaminants also exceed EWG health benchmarks.

Some of these exceedances are not violations of federal law but they do indicate contaminants present at levels much greater than what independent public-health advocates consider safe.

Brunswick County Public Utilities (BCPU) has documented PFAS (forever chemicals) in its drinking water. In 2017 PFAS contamination was discovered in the Cape Fear River. While BCPU is working on building a treatment plant capable of removing some PFAS the project has been repeatedly delayed and there is little confidence in an actual completion date.

(1) Source: WECT: “Brunswick County tops national list for PFAS contamination (among 44 sites tested in 31 states).”
https://www.wect.com/2020/01/22/brunswick-county-tops-national-list-pfas-contamination/
(2) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935123023575
(3) https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=NC0410045