Brenda J. Lyons is reporting in the Times Union a state Supreme Court justice has upheld a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of Petersburgh, Rensselaer County, against a company blamed for polluting the local water with the toxic chemical PFOA. Justice Patrick J. McGrath declined to dismiss the case against plastics company Taconic, citing a recent U.S. District Court decision in a similar class action filed by residents of nearby Hoosick Falls. In both cases, the legal arguments are based around the question of whether people with elevated levels of PFOA in their blood have suffered an injury. Both the Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh cases seek long-term medical monitoring for people with elevated levels of the chemical in their blood. PFOA exposure has been linked to a variety of health problems, including testicular and kidney cancer and thyroid disease. The Petersburgh case was filed on behalf of anyone whose private wells were contaminated, or who have used the town's now polluted public water system. The issue is expected to ultimately be decided by the state Court of Appeals, Lyons writes. Read the full story in the Times Union.