Hoosick Falls Victims Rebuffed On Legislative Hearings

Pushing for legislative hearings, residents of Hoosick Falls, NY, are trying to get state lawmakers to pay attention to the dangerous levels of contamination that have pervaded their drinking water.

At a protest at the State Capitol this week, residents brought posters indicating the level of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that had infiltrated their bodies, measured in ppb, according to The New York Times:

“Dad, 68.”

“Grandma, 85.”

“Teacher, 137.”

Residents have undergone blood test results in recent weeks, and some have tested at 100 times the national average, reigniting local fury over the water crisis.

As in Flint, MI, residents question whether government officials have responded quickly enough to the crisis.

“Last year, PFOA was confirmed in dangerously high levels in the village’s drinking water, which comes from municipal wells. Late January, more than a month after a federal warning about the water, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the installation of new filtration systems, blood testing, and other measures,” the report said.

Residents did not walk away with everything they wanted after the protest in the State Capitol this week. But they were invited to a meeting with Jim Malatras, the state’s director of operations.

“Left unfulfilled was a wish for legislative hearings on the state’s reaction to the contamination, even as the Legislature prepares to wrap up its session for the year. (Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, was not available to meet with residents, according to his office, because of meetings with legislative leaders),” the report said.

After the meeting, Michele Baker, a 50-year-old Hoosick Falls resident said, per The Wall Street Journal: “I feel better about it, but I still want answers from the Legislature. Still want hearings. We’re not backing down.”

The U.S. EPA issued a health advisory in May about PFC exposure as various cities wage high-profile battles against the chemicals, including Hoosick Falls and factory towns across the country. PFCs are industrial chemicals, and research has tied them to cancer, the Associated Press reported.

The EPA advisory covers perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as well as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Though not a regulation, the advisory requires utilities to alert customers about the presence of these chemicals.

To read more about PFOA visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.