Carcinogenic Sea Foam and Silence: The Overlooked Sources of PFAS on the Cape Fear River

When a team of researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina published their August 2025 study, Detection and Quantitation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in North Carolina Sea Foam and the Corresponding Sea Water, their findings drew immediate attention—especially the extraordinarily high PFOS concentrations detected at “Site 10” on the Cape Fear River. The study, designed as a broad survey of PFAS in sea foam and seawater, offered compelling data and valuable insight into how these persistent chemicals accumulate in coastal surf zones. Yet it left one critical question unanswered: what sources were responsible for PFOS levels at Site 10 that were orders of magnitude higher than at other sampling locations?

After reviewing the published results, I recognized a PFAS pattern characteristic of legacy 3M formulations rather than the Chemours-associated chemistry more commonly discussed in the region. That distinction prompted a closer look at potential contributors in the immediate area. A brief search of publicly available mapping tools revealed nearby military infrastructure, firefighting operations, and wastewater discharges—all well-documented pathways for PFOS contamination.

This report documents these findings and examines what the original study did not: the likely sources of PFOS driving the extreme concentrations measured at Site 10.