Proposed New Rules to Regulate the Discharge of PFAS & 1,4, Dioxane
The NC Environmental Management Commission (EMC) has proposed new rules written by industry lobbyists to “regulate” the discharge of PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and 1,4-dioxane into our waterways. If the EMC enacts these rules as written, chronic polluters will not have to cut their toxic discharges of PFAS and 1,4 dioxane into North Carolina’s drinking water supplies – they just have to say they will and they'll face no consequences even if those discharges INCREASE.
PFAS and 1,4-dioxane are incredibly harmful to human and environmental health, and are very difficult and expensive to remove from our drinking water. These rules only benefit the polluters they represent. Everyday North Carolinians will be exposed and vulnerable to these toxins flowing from their taps. Currently, more than 3.5 million North Carolinians drink water contaminated with unsafe levels of PFAS, and more than one million drink water laden with cancer-causing 1,4-dioxane.
About the rules
The EMC plans to adopt a set of rules that were written by polluters and would allow nearly 500 industrial facilities across our state to continue to dump toxic PFAS and 1,4-dioxane into our rivers and drinking water supplies.
Rather than require industries and wastewater plants to reduce their chemical pollution, these rules only tell dischargers to collect a handful of samples and to write a plan for how they could reduce pollution. There are no consequences or penalties if the polluter fails to cut its pollution—not even if the polluter increases its toxic discharges.
How should the EMC move forward? North Carolinians deserve strong rules that protect people over polluters. Instead of pursuing toothless rules, the EMC should work toward health-based water quality standards for PFAS and 1,4-dioxane.
The 90-day public comment period opened on March 16. Please add your name and personal comments to the NC Sierra Club petition to the EMC and attend one of the six public hearings taking place across the state including the one in Wilmington on April 23rd (PFAS):
When: 6 p.m., April 23, 2026
Where: Wilmington City Hall at Skyline Center, 1st Floor Conference Center, 929 N. Front Street
Register: Sign-in and speaker registration will begin at 5 p.m.
Parking: Attendees should park in the south lot using the Brunswick St. entrance. Those requiring ADA access should use the visitor lot.
Make your opinion known! Tell the EMC to pass rules that work for the people, not the polluters who poison our waters. We can demand that our government work for us and not for polluters by rewriting these rules to prioritize public and environmental health. We deserve safe, clean drinking water, so speak up NOW to protect our communities and our environment.
How to make a comment:
The EMC is running two concurrent comment periods covering similar rules: one for PFAS and one for 1,4-dioxane. We encourage you to focus on the topic assigned to the hearing location you’ll be attending. If you’d like to address both topics, you may do so – in that case, please bring written copies of your comments and include this note at the top: “I request that this comment be included in the public record for both the proposed 1,4-dioxane monitoring and minimization rules and the PFAS monitoring and minimization rules.”
The talking points below can be used to inform your comments. You do not need to be an expert to participate. What’s most important is that the EMC hears from real people that want real protection from PFAS and 1,4-dioxane.
About 1,4-dioxane
1,4-dioxane is a clear industrial liquid used as a solvent and sometimes created as a byproduct of manufacturing PET plastics — the kind used in plastic bottles and polyester.
1,4-dioxane is carcinogenic and long-term exposure can also damage the liver and kidneys.
For at least ten years, NC families have been exposed to high concentrations of 1,4-dioxane. The city of Asheboro’s wastewater treatment plant has discharged 1,4-dioxane into Hasketts Creek, which flows into the Deep and Cape Fear Rivers — threatening the drinking water of up to 900,000 North Carolinians in communities including Sanford, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina.
Conventional drinking water treatment systems do not remove 1,4-dioxane from water.
North Carolina has some of the worst 1,4-dioxane pollution in the nation. North Carolinians may be exposed to concentrations more than double the national average.
Where is the pollution coming from? The Asheboro Waste Water Treatment Plant accepts industrial waste from StarPet, a large industrial facility that manufactures PET polymers used in plastic bottles and polyester.
What has been done about Asheboro’s pollution so far? The state tried to end Asheboro’s 1,4-dioxane discharges, but the city sued. The EPA supported the state’s action in 2024 and just recently a court ruled in favor of the state. However, Asheboro has appealed and for now the issue remains unresolved.
About PFAS
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a large group of human-made chemicals that have been used in industrial and consumer products since the 1940s. They are found in nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothing, firefighting foam, and food packaging. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily in the environment or the human body.
Exposure to PFAS has been linked to serious health effects, including:
Cancer, including kidney and testicular cancer
Thyroid disease and hormone disruption
Immune system damage, including reduced vaccine effectiveness
High cholesterol and cardiovascular disease
Developmental harm in children and infants
North Carolina has been at the center of the national PFAS crisis. The Chemours chemical plant along the Cape Fear River has discharged PFAS into the river, which supplies drinking water to hundreds of thousands of residents in the Wilmington area and beyond.
As more testing has been done across the state, we have found PFAS at dangerous levels in multiple drinking water systems. Despite years of community response, advocacy, and legal action, more than 3.5 million North Carolinians drink water with unsafe levels of PFAS.