Class-action lawsuit filed over chemical in NY village water

Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the test results at a press conference in Montpelier Thursday morning, two hours after the state received them.

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, which acquired the Chemfab plant in North Bennington in 2000 and closed the facility in 2002, released a statement that said in part, “Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has contacted state and local officials and has offered to fund the provision of bottled water and point-of-use filtration systems for these locations and others that might be affected”.

However, given the recent tragedy in Flint, Michigan, where elevated levels of lead in the city’s water system were apparently ignored by city, state and federal regulators, and initial criticisms leveled by residents against the State for its response in Hoosick Falls, the State has sprung into action on several fronts.

The group’s tasks include looking at how to better regulate chemicals like PFOA and “address the complicated issues surrounding contaminants that are not regulated by the Federal EPA”.

Dan Williams, the village’s public works superintendent, said the results are as low as they can be. “Moreover, the state must hold the polluters responsible for their actions”.

The state has started water testing on Long Island for contamination from a toxic groundwater plume near a former military plane manufacturing plant.

“This will be a small number of folks that will be impacted, ultimately”, said Schuren.

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Albany does not specify whether any of the plaintiffs – Michele Baker; Angela Corbett; Michelle O’Leary and Daniel Shuttig – are afflicted with any health problems from drinking contaminated water. “We don’t drink the water, we never have, so we aren’t concerned in that regard”, said Pembroke.

PFOA has been linked to thyroid diseases and kidney and testicular cancer.

“I’m on town water so I don’t think it really affects me, but I feel bad for the people that could possibly be affected by this”, said DiCranian. “Then they’re going to install the new filter”, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. While the concentrations are minuscule, they exceed the acceptable health standard level of 20 parts per trillion, according to Chuck Schwer, of the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid, would likely have been emitted from a smokestack at the ChemFab plant and would have been been deposited with water vapor near the factory, officials said. The state identified Saint-Gobain and Honeywell International as the parties potentially responsible for the contamination. Following news reports of potential PFOA contamination in Hoosik Falls, N.Y., DEC took the proactive step of testing water supplies in North Bennington.