Thursday, July 14, 2016

Hoosick Falls Water Contamination from PFOA

In 2015, members of the Hoosick Falls community have contacted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with concerns and questions about whether they should drink, bathe in, or cook with their water, which has been found to contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

PFOA is a manmade chemical that is toxic and persistent in the environment.  It is used as a surface-active agent and in a variety of products, such as fire-fighting foams, coating additives and cleaning products.

On November 25, 2015, the EPA recommended that, based on the presence of PFOA above 400 ppt in the Village of Hoosick Falls public drinking water supply, people not drink the water from the Hoosick Falls public water supply or use it for cooking.

The New York State Department of Health is the lead for addressing PFOA contamination in the water supply. The New York State Department of Health announced on March 30, 2016 that “repeated testing of the village of Hoosick Falls' municipal water system shows non detection of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and is now safe for all uses including drinking and cooking.”
For the latest information about work to address the public water supply, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/investigations/hoosick/.

In February 2016, the EPA collected soil samples from the Hoosick Falls Ballfields and Athletic Field. That sampling found levels of PFOA and related compounds ranging from not detectable to 0.021 parts per million (ppm), as compared with EPA’s action level for PFOA in soil, which is currently 15.6 ppm. These levels will not necessitate any need for cleanup work in any of the areas sampled.

The EPA will be doing more sampling during spring 2016, including soil sampling in areas near the Saint-Gobain McCaffrey Street facility, and sampling of soil, groundwater and storm drains at the McCaffrey Street facility. 

The EPA is issuing periodic community updates to keep the public informed of its continuing efforts. Public inquiries can be directed to Larisa Romanowski at Romanowski.Larisa@epa.gov or 518-407-0400.

=====================================


PFOA found in Hoosick Falls, N.Y. landfill in March

Water samples collected in March had the chemical

By Edward Damon
edamon@benningtonbanner.com @edamon_banner on Twitter
Posted:   07/13/2016 08:55:50 PM EDT




HOOSICK FALLS, NY — PFOA, the chemical that contaminated nearby public and private water supplies, was found in water collected late this winter from a former landfill and a nearby pond.

Water samples taken on March 14 from the capped landfill at the end of Walnut Street was found to have PFOA levels of 21,000 parts per trillion, according to a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Water samples taken from the pond in February had PFOA levels of 1,200 ppt.

The landfill's level represents the highest amount of the reputed cancer-causing chemical found in the village to date. It's 300 times more than what the EPA says is safe for drinking water.

The results were first reported by media outlets late last week. It wasn't immediately clear when the results were returned to DEC.

The findings came from "extensive sampling" of surface water, the landfill, and other locations such as tips of illegal dumping sites, farms and industrial sites, according to the spokesman.

The landfill is adjacent to the Hoosic River. Tests on four river water samples taken from both upstream and downstream of the landfill in February found PFOA levels below 20 ppt. The EPA's "health advisory level" for drinking water is 70 ppt.

"The initial sample results of river water up and down stream of the landfill do not indicate that PFOA from the landfill is impacting water quality in the Hoosic River or wells feeding the municipal water supply or private homes," a spokesperson for DEC said in a statement.
Advertisement

It's unclear when the PFOA was dumped. The landfill has been capped for years.

A DEC official declined to elaborate on how it got there and said anything at this stage is speculation.

The second highest level was found beneath Saint-Gobain Performance Plastic's McCaffrey Street facility — tests by the company last year found 18,000 ppt in a groundwater monitoring well.

That company and Honeywell International, as successors of former companies which operated at several locations around the village for decades, both signed consent orders with the state last month which holds them accountable for pollution.

PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, was used to make the nonstick coating Teflon. It's been linked to various cancers and other diseases. It's discovery in Hoosick Falls led to a no-drink order being issued in November, installation of home and municipal filtration systems, companies paying for bottled water, and a blood-testing program for residents.

The highest levels were found on the northwestern area of the property, adjacent to railroad tracks and about 200 feet east of the Hoosic River.

DEC is now expected to investigate the landfill.

The agency "is now examining historical records of surrounding companies that may have disposed industrial wastes in the landfill and will aggressively pursue those responsible for this pollution," a statement from DEC said.

The agency "is refining and focusing our investigation based on these sampling results, to determine how the elevated contamination levels observed at the landfill monitoring wells are impacting the surrounding area, and identify those responsible for this contamination."