Contamination concerns rise after PFAS detection in Jordan Lake and Haw River fish

According to a study conducted by North Carolina researchers, high levels of PFAS — per and polyfluoroalkyl substances — were detected in the fish in the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area and the Haw River State Park. PFAS are toxic chemicals resistant to heat, water and soil. 

PFAS are utilized in manufacturing and industrial processes and present in products ranging from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam. The chemicals do not naturally break down in the environment or organisms, deeming them "forever chemicals."

Erin Baker, an associate professor in the department of chemistry at UNC and one of the co-authors of the study, said“when [PFAS] go into your body, they actually don't excrete very well so they bioaccumulate in your blood and in your organs.” 

Long-term exposure to PFAS have been associated with multiple health concerns, including infertility, increased risk of cancer and a decrease in immune system function. Exposure has also been linked with a negative affect in growth, development and behavior in infants and children, according to the North Carolina Division of Public Health. 

Although PFAS in the environment have been an active area of research, it is difficult to pinpoint the specific ways they cause contamination due to the multiple types of PFAS and their usages, Anna Boatman, a fifth year graduate student at UNC and the lead author of the July study, said.

Fishing advisories were released by the NCDHHS in July of 2023 that recommends limited consumption of fish from the middle and lower parts of the Cape Fear River Basin due to contamination of PFAS, however, Jordan Lake is not highlighted as an area of contamination. There are no pre-existing fish advisories for Jordan Lake either, according to the NCDHHS.

Boatman said industry on the Haw River is a potential source of PFAS contamination along with pollution and agricultural runoff. 

PFAS contamination impacts

Studies have shown PFAS are not easily absorbed through skin — however, the threat comes with consuming the water and fish, Baker said.

Jordan Lake and Haw River supply water to multiple towns in the Triangle, including Apex, Cary and Morrisville, Josh Kastrinsky, deputy communications director of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, said.

In order to become drinking water, the water extracted from the lake goes through a treatment process where it is disinfected. However, Boatman said conventional drinking water treatment does not separate and expel PFAS. 

“The big concern is that Jordan Lake is the main drinking water source for a majority of people in Raleigh —  it serves about 700,000 people or more,” Baker said. 

With increasing environmental awareness, there are several ongoing efforts to address quantities of PFAS and understand their extent. In April 2024, the environmental protection agency finalized maximum contaminant levels for six types of PFAS in public water systems.

The N.C. DEQ has also been collecting water samples from sources throughout the state to better understand the extent of the contamination, Kastrinsky said. Additionally, he said they have proposed groundwater and state surface level standards to reduce PFAS impact to drinking water. 

“We are in an environment where we are learning more about what is out there and on building standards based on the information we have," Kastrinsky said. "Not only about how they are spread in our environment, but also about what we know about the health impacts of consuming them.” 

While removing PFAS in the environment is a complicated process due to their resistance, Boatman said efforts being put into remediation research is encouraging. 

Kastrinsky said large-scale PFAS filtration will take time to come into effect. In the meantime, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, alongside the Environmental Protection Agency, assembled a fact sheet for personal filtration and PFA testing. 

“The biggest and best thing to be doing in terms of getting PFAS out of the environment is to stop putting PFAS into the environment as much as possible,” Boatman said. 

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