North Carolina State University has received a $7.4 million grant to establish a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) research center.

The Center for Environmental and Human Health Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at N.C. State was made possible by the grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Superfund Research Program. According to a North Carolina Health News report, the PFAS center will bring together collaborators from N.C. State and East Carolina University to study PFAS toxicity and bioaccumulation, as well as how the chemicals move in the environment and how to get rid of them.

North Carolina Health News has more:

During the past few years, researchers at N.C. State University have taken blood and tap water samples from people in the Wilmington and Fayetteville areas to assess their exposure to GenX and other PFAS chemicals.

Now, with a $7.4 million federal grant announced this month, they plan to dive even deeper into how these “forever chemicals” could be affecting the health of an estimated 200,000 people who rely on the Cape Fear River or nearby private wells for their drinking water.

Read the full article here.