"Environmentalists are suing to stop the flow of 1,4-dioxane into the drinking water supply, which one local water utility found at concentrations 17 times higher than the EPA’s health advisory goal." 

"ASHEBORO, N.C. — Boxy, gunmetal gray buildings loom over a labyrinth of ducts and tubes and catwalks, beyond which 100 train cars loll on their tracks. Smokestacks wait to exhale.

This is StarPet, a mammoth factory in north Asheboro that manufactures PET polymers, derived from fossil fuels and used in polyester fibers and plastic bottles. 

The facility lies a little more than two miles from the Asheboro wastewater treatment plant, a destination for StarPet’s discharge that contains 1,4-dioxane, a chemical designated by the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a likely carcinogen.

Two environmental nonprofits, Cape Fear River Watch and Haw River Assembly, are suing the city of Asheboro and StarPet, alleging they have illegally discharged 1,4-dioxane and contaminated drinking water supplies for 900,000 people downstream."

Lisa Sorg reports for Inside Climate News June 29, 2025. [2]