A Seat at the Table: A Community Perspective on Fighting the Multi-Billion Dollar PFAS "Forever Chemicals" Industry

Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, shares insights on the five year battle residents in Southeastern North Carolina have waged to stop PFAS contamination in their air, soil, water, and food supply coming from the Chemours Fayetteville Works facility. Learn how her grassroots community group affects change by demanding a seat at the table on public health topics directly impacting her community.

Co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, Donovan has testified before Congress twice and shared the stage with lawyer Rob Bilott, and actor/producer Mark Ruffalo, during a Washington Post Live panel discussion on the movie Dark Waters. She co-hosted two screenings of the movie Dark Waters in Wilmington and Raleigh, which featured guest speaker Mark Ruffalo and resulted in North Carolina's Attorney General filing a lawsuit against DuPont and Chemours for natural resource damages and led to a historic amount of PFAS bills filed in the NC General Assembly in 2020. Her organization secured RO filling stations in 49 impacted public schools in New Hanover and Brunswick counties. Most recently, Donovan helped organize the 3rd National PFAS Conference in Wilmington, NC where the U.S. EPA announced new health advisories for PFAS. She also participated in a CBS Sunday Morning feature story on forever chemicals in the United States. Her work has helped elevate community concerns regarding PFAS contamination to the state and federal level. She serves on numerous advisory boards and is a leadership team member for the National PFAS Contamination Coalition.