FAYETTEVILLE — Questions will be taken from the public at a forum on chemicals associated with the PFAS family.

The North Carolina PFAS Testing Network is hosting the event from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the Shaw Auditorium on the campus of Fayetteville State University. This is on the East Campus, inside the School of Business and Economics.

The event is free and there is no registration required.

PFAS is an acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. It has become a part of the regional lexicon through Chemours, the chemical company on the Bladen and Cumberland county line that was cited in June 2017 as the source of contamination to the Cape Fear River through release of GenX.

GenX is a trade name for C3 dimer acid, a compound used in the manufacture of products such as food packaging and nonstick coatings. It’s also a byproduct of certain manufacturing processes. HFPO-DA, an acronym for hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid, is another name for this PFAS.

The effects of GenX on humans isn’t fully known. State regulation has been evolving.

The forum bills itself as a place to “learn how PFAS may be affecting food and groundwater in your community. Presentations, including NC DHHS survey results, will be followed by an expert panel to answer your PFAS questions.”

N.C. DHHS is the acronym for the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Speakers scheduled to participate are Dr. Owen Duckworth of N.C. State, Dr. David Genereux of N.C. State, Dr. Jacquelyn MacDonald Gibson of Indiana University, and Dr. Virginia Guidry of DHHS.

The PFAS Testing Network is funded by the state General Assembly through the N.C. Policy Collaboratory. It includes researchers from seven universities. Research to date, a flyer says, has focused on sampling air, water, animals and crops.

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Alan Wooten

Bladen Journal

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.