Duke Study Links Burlington Plant to PFAS Contamination in Haw River

Researchers from Duke University found contamination in the Haw River watershed, linking the pollution to a textile plant in Burlington. The plant was found to be releasing nanoparticle PFAS precursors at concentrations reaching 12 million parts-per-trillion, which is approximately three million times the Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water limit. The study traced unacceptably high PFAS levels in Pittsboro's drinking water upstream to Burlington’s wastewater treatment plant.

The contamination involves toxic PFAS, which has been linked to health issues in the Cape Fear River basin for over a decade. The Duke study found that the plant’s Zimpro process, which uses heat and pressure, was converting hidden PFAS precursors into detectable toxic forms. Although measurable PFAS levels dropped after the process was shut down, precursors continued entering the system through sewage.