PFOA Water Contamination Report for Rensselaer County, New York

PFOA Water Contamination Report for Rensselaer County, New York:

Hoosick Falls & Petersburgh, NY

Meghan Keator

Union College/Boston University

Sierra Club Intern

20, June 2017

Abstract:

This particular report addresses and assesses the issues arising out of the PFOA water contamination cases in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh (mainly Petersburgh) as well as the current and pending measures to remediate and prevent the exacerbation and reoccurrence of such water contaminate issues within New York. Comparatively, this report analyzes how the various aspects of the contaminate situation have or have not been resolved as to date based upon information from federal, state, and local levels of government in addition to the accounts and concerns by residents residing within these contaminated areas of Rensselaer County. Although multiple measures have been taken to combat the contaminate of PFOA in drinking water and ground water, new information continues to arise monthly with more testing, and local citizens still have many questions and concerns with the process and efforts of the state and federal government moving forward. Initially focusing on the contaminate case in Hoosick Falls, the direction of research shifted more towards Petersburgh under the recommendation by former EPA regional administrator, Judith Enck, due to the lack of attention that Petersburgh received from officials and the media attributable to its more rural-natured, working-class demographics and smaller population.

PFOA Case in Petersburgh, NY:

Waking up to brush your teeth in the morning, washing an apple off before packing it away for a later lunch, showering, watering your garden, even grabbing a quick glass of water to drink before bed – we typically brush by any questioning thoughts of where our water comes from or what may be in it. Often, people take for granted that the water pouring out of their faucets is safe to use and consume. Yet, only until recently has such an ease of thought been shattered for residents of Petersburgh and those in the neighboring town of Hoosick Falls. Emily Marpe and her family, former residents of Petersburgh and currently new residents of Hoosick Falls, can attest to the trials that the local PFOA contamination issues have had and continue to have on her and her family. Growing up in Petersburgh as a child, Marpe has lived there for almost the entirety of her life and only moved during the past month to Hoosick Falls. Both residential locations are sites currently under PFOA contamination clean-up/remediation efforts by the companies of Taconic Plastics and Honeywell/St. Gobain respectively. Frequently, people ask her why she moved from one PFOA hot spot to another, in which she replies that Hoosick is doing a much better job dealing with the PFOA issues, not just with filtration systems but also with keeping the public engaged. A strong advocate for both places, Marpe also wanted to stay close to the issue at hand after dedicating over a year of research on the effects and processes of PFOA as well as personally supporting local involvement groups and aiding officials with problem areas.

Additionally, Marpe notes that Petersburgh has higher levels of PFOA contamination among other places, but the news and media fail to portray it that way. Overall, Petersburgh has been left out of much of the media and the realm of official concern as Hoosick Falls has taken over much of the spotlight and state resources. She claims that St. Gobain’s highest contaminate levels came back around 200,000ppt on the company’s site; whereas, Taconic’s highest PFOA rates on site came back nearing 1,000,000ppt. However, according to the DEC and their records of past PFOA levels on Taconic’s property/wells the highest level of PFOA dating back to 2004 was 152,000ppt, which was also reported by News10 on March 2, 2016. Yet, it appears that the DEC never released these numbers to the public, after sitting on them for over a month, as News10 claims to be the first source bringing these reports to the people of Petersburgh, which begs the question as to why the state would not see itself fit to address these issues with the public first? Essentially, Marpe wants to encourage people in Petersburgh to be more concerned, especially since the PFOA toxins there are at extreme levels, or perhaps even unknown levels due to all the discrepancies between actual PFOA numbers from the state, the company, residents, and the news. Yet, she also notes that the small town has many people living there that work for Taconic Plastics, and that even live in homes owned by the company; thus, many abstain from being strongly involved for fear of losing their jobs or even their homes and means of life.

What personally hit home the hardest for Marpe and many others in the town of Petersburgh were the notifications of the blood test results. Marpe was appalled by the results and immediately feared for her family’s safety and wellbeing both in the present and for the future. She opened hers first, expecting her blood test to return with the highest level of PFOA in the family since she spent most of her life in Petersburgh. Her blood levels showed a result of a mid 300ppt range. Next she opened her husband’s results and was shocked to see that his level clocked in at 400ppt. With these results in mind, she opened the last two result letters that contained her children’s results. Gwen, close to the age of thirteen, tested positive for PFOA in her blood at a level just above 200ppt, where her younger brother Ethan tested positive at a level in the low 100ppt range. Witnessing these results that indicated that her children were and continue to be effectedwas one of the most heartbreaking moments that she recalls in her life. Marpe’s step daughter, who also had her blood tested despite visiting very few times, only came back with trace results – indicating to Marpe that these levels of contamination that her family continues to face are certainly in the water and perhaps other sources as well.[1]

A year before the PFOA contamination announcement was made to the public in the early months of 2016, Marpe started to notice odd health symptoms arising, and after medical testing was quickly diagnosed with thyroid disease. Likewise, her daughter Gwen’s medical exam revealed that unusual lumps had started forming on her mammary glands. Side-effects from PFOA include abnormalities and potential puberty complications along with thyroid disease, thyroid cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, as well as other types of serious ailments and cancers. Recalling her parent’s home below the hill where the Petersburgh Landfill was located, Marpe now believes that the severe, progressive forms of cancer that her mother was unexpectedly diagnosed with and ultimately died from at the age of 62 were caused by the runoff of the wastes that Taconic discarded into that dump during the 1990s along with her employment at Taconic Plastics, especially since there was no family history of these forms of cancers prior to her mother’s diagnosis. On August 29, 2016. The DEC contacted the landfill on Jones Hollow Road and informed the owner of the potential contaminates there. After testing was conducted, the Petersburgh Landfill had PFOA results that came back with levels of 1,600ppt and one leachate sample that had a reported concentration of PFOA at 4,200ppt. Likewise, a nearby tributary where contaminates seeped into the water tested positive for PFOA at 440ppt according to DEC records. Now efforts for the state to classify the Landfill as a Superfund site remain, as only Taconic Plastic’s property thus far has been classified and submitted as a Superfund site that awaits federal approval and intervention, which Enck says will be announced this coming March.

Additionally, Marpe’s account factors in that residents across town fear what their blood results mean now and into the future. One local citizen, Willy, was one of five people to have a blood test that came back at a level over 1000ppt. A retired worker of Taconic Plastics and long-time town resident, Willy carries around his results in disbelief according to Marpe, who also notes that Willy’s PFOA level would probably parallel what her mother’s would be if she was alive to be tested since she, too, was a resident and a worker of Taconic as previously noted. Many residents, including Marpe also shared that they were disconcerted by the fact that the Taconic received the lab results of their blood tests before they did. It seems backwards that Taconic would be sending Marpe and other residents their results, and adds to the unsettling feelings of distrust as residents again become the last to know about issues that directly impact them. Over the course of interviewing Marpe, she named more than ten local people that she knew who died of cancer within an approximatefive-year span. Family members, friends/neighbors, former employees of Taconic Plastics, even her childhood babysitter that lived behind the factory, have died of inexplicable cases of cancer throughout the years when PFOA was an issue left unaddressed. Marpe accounts of a chilling story about the man who owned a camp site across from Taconic Plastics (simply an overgrown field now) and witnessed (allegedly with photographic evidence) Taconic members in hazmat suits dumping waste into the sewage system. She states that the owner of the camp site also knew farmers who were payed to let Taconic dump waste in the back of their fields, which could have potentially entered the water supply with the frequent flooding of the Hoosick in the area. Although he eventually sold the campsite to Taconic, Marpe says that the owner was another resident that later died of cancer.

Also, many residents also noted the odd smell that stems from Taconic’s property/factory and fear that PFOA may be vaporized in the air. I agree that such a concern is valid, despite result claims stating that only a trivial quarter size amount of PFOA is released from the company’s smoke stacks. After taking the time to walk down the public road next to the company, I was accosted by a strong smell of something paralleling the scent of burning plastic (whatever the cause of the smell actually may be). Marpe showed me a picture of the thick smog that clouded the air on a clear day that obviously arose from the location/direction where the company is located. Per Marpe, homes tested down wind of the plant came back with results of up to 1000ppt in their ground water. It appears plausible that PFOA in the air could enter the soil via the surface or enter both the soil and ground water through condensation build-up that could possibly contain PFOA, which may be another portion of a study all on its own to see how PFOA levels in the air, soil, and water compare and what their relation is to one another.

When asked about the efforts to provide clean/safe drinking water to the public in Petersburgh, Marpe’s frustration was clear as the state’s efforts off bringing carbon filtration systems to residential homes fell short of her expectations. Marpe claims that many people did not know how to sign up for a filtration system, let alone where to have their blood tested due to the lack of public awareness and accessibility to DEC and DOH. According to News10 ABC on May 26, 2016 only 21 out of 75 potentially effected homes had water filtration systems installed. Almost a year later, on May 3, 2017, the Times Union claimed that DEC has installed a total of 54 carbon filtration systems in residential homes throughout Petersburgh.[2]If anything, Marpe expressed a sense of understanding and respect towards Taconic Plastics for quickly providing bottled water to people and conducting extensive testing of its wells and other property locations. Overall, it seems that it is the departments of New York State that have failed to keep Petersburgh’s residents informed and up-to-date on new information and testing results, as well as what steps are being made towards medical monitoring and mediation. On May 2, 2017 the DEC website reported that DOH had cleared the municipal water/wells and deemed the water safe for consumption/below the 70ppt EPA advisory level. Additionally, DEC reported that Taconic would no longer provide bottled water for residents using the municipal wells after May 13, 2017, but that the company would continue to provide free bottled water resources for residents utilizing private contaminated wells until further testing proves them to be cleared or until carbon filtration systems (POETS [Point of Entry Systems]) are installed and subsequent testing then proves the water to be safe for consumption as well. Overall, the DEC website confirms that 133 POET systems are currently in place within Petersburgh, and that 85 were covered by Taconic’s legal agreement (in Areas of Interest (AOI)) and that 45 others were installed by DEC funds.[3]

However, Marpe states that out of all the companies, homes, and schools affected, only about 100 carbon filtration systems have been put in out of 3000 potential points for filters in the local area. One issue with the filtration systems was the delay in their installment, as the manufacturer of the systems in the US ceased making these filters and Mexico became the only source to purchase them. However, these filters required large bulk purchases, which due to Petersburgh’s small size, created a problem for ordering more filters. Thus, Marpe notes that Hoosick’s water is safer to drink due to the municipal and private filtration systems that are widespread there then the few put in place at Petersburgh, where many residents remain living off bottled water due to their private wells being contaminated. When mentioning the other pitfalls of the state’s response, Marpe recalls the initial water handout that was limited to a gallon of water per person each day, where even using water to brush her teeth seemed wasteful. Yet, at the time when filtration systems were first installed into residential homes, Marpe, among other Petersburgh residents, began to question this monitoring program, as it became more intrusive than standing and waiting at the local water distribution line. Every three months, Marpe recalls strangers walking into her home to take samples for testing her water for her to keep her filtration system, which took out the comfort level that a home should provide for a family.

As far as an alternative water source for Petersburgh, there has yet to be one announced or even found for that matter. For Marpe, she deems that there is no such thing as a “pure” or “completely clean” water source, and that in today’s world there are always some sort of contaminates, even at low levels, in the water; thus, she believes that the best method would be for the state to ensure that all municipal water supplies have a filtration system that is checked and updated with leading technological advancements to ensure that public water supplies are as clean and safe as possible. Although Judith Enck stated at the PFOA water conference in Bennington, VT that “I think they [the people of New York] deserve a clean, unfiltered water supply,” I personally would have to agree with Marpe’s concerns over whether an unfiltered water supply is really possible or even beneficial long-term, as a filtration system can have the potential to be an active, preventative measure that keeps people and their drinking water safe at the on start of a contaminate entering into the water system that may not be detected until months down the line.

Filtration systems aside, Marpe among multiple news sources note that the town wells in Petersburgh as a whole need to be restored, as they are out of date with current regulations and standards, while one is even partially collapsed and awaits the nearing day that it fully gives out. If these wells are not to be remodeled, then potential alternative water sources that Marpe suggests looking at stem from creating a pipeline that brings in water from Cherry Plain, south of Petersburgh or from the Taconic Lake (which Enck also suggests if its water tests come back clear of high levels of PFOA and other contaminants). Marpe even proposes creating a new water district off Route 22 that could pick up the town and the Berlin school district as well. However, Marpe realistically sees an alternative water source for Petersburgh being a far-off task, as bringing in water from other areas costs one million dollars per mile. Therefore, it seems highly unlikely that the state will spend resources at such a degree on an alternative water project that brings in water from an outside area, especially when the media and state officials cannot afford Petersburgh the resources of bringing widespread attention to its PFOA issues, let alone working quickly to solve the issue in such a small area.