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More PFOA contamination found in Poestenkill

Oct 18, 2021 1:34 pm

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that two more residential wells in Poestenkill tested positive for PFOA contamination, Rensselaer County officials said Oct. 15. Now at least four homes near the Algonquin Middle School report drinking water that exceeds the state level of 10 parts per trillion for PFOA this summer. PFOA is a toxic, cancer-causing so-called "forever" chemical which can run into drinking water from industrial uses and PFOS has been used in stain-resistant fabrics, fire-fighting foams, food packaging, and other processes. “We received results for the second round of testing yesterday afternoon and providing this information as soon as possible for residents. We continue to test wells in the town and continue to seek the source of this contamination,” County Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas said Oct. 15. There have been other recent local PFOA contamination reported in the drinking water in Hoosick Falls, Petersburgh in Rensselaer County, Cairo in Greene County, and the city of Newburgh. So far in Poestenkill, four of 17 wells tested have found contamination, and a third round of testing is now underway. Read more about this story in the Times Union.