Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that New York's Department of Environmental Conservation will conduct a third round of testing for PFOAs in local drinking water supplies will be started later this month in Poestenkill in Rensselaer County. The Poestenkill Landfill site was capped and closed in 1993, and initial water tests have showed excessive levels of PFOAs in drinking water near the Algonquin Middle School. Exposure to the chemical compounds in PFOAs are linked to kidney and testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension, and medically diagnosed high cholesterol. “We are seeking to do more testing, gather more data and do it more quickly. We want answers just as the residents want answers,” County Executive Steve McLaughlin said. Drinking fountains at the school have been turned off since PFOAs had been found in water at Algonquin Middle School at 12 parts per trillion, which is above the state allowable level of 10 parts per trillion. The DEC said Oct. 6 that it plans “to install groundwater monitoring wells near the school to assess groundwater flow direction… to assist in identifying potential sources. DEC will also be assessing whether past activities that took place at the school could be a source of groundwater contamination.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.