A chemical company in North Carolina called Chemours was caught discharging GenX, an industrial byproduct, and it showed up in the drinking water.
The chemical is now being brought to Deer Park each month by the company.
GenX is used to make Teflon and other products such as fast food wrappers. Its trade name is perfluoro-2-propoxypropanoic acid.
The EPA says that studies have shown that GenX is believed to cause health issues that are suggestive of cancer.
Since June 2017, Chemours has been capturing the wastewater with GenX. In November they began transporting the GenX wastewater via tanker truck and rail to Deer Park, Texas. Texas Molecular takes the chemical and disposes it via deep-well injection.
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has spoken many times about the dangers of GenX.
Chemours says that at some point in 2020, new technology will be able to vaporize the wastewater and break down most of the chemicals.
Source: Click2Houston.com, “Investigation: Why nearly a dozen tankers bring cancer-causing chemical to Houston-area from NC each month,” by Debbie Strauss, Special Projects Producer and Joel Eisenbaum, Investigative Reporter, February 11, 2020