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Recent controversial discoveries regarding the Hoosick Falls, NY public water contamination law suit have brought to question the manner in which the state and federal government chose to deal with rectifying the issue. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent letters Wednesday to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency demanding documents for the pending congressional probe into the water pollution. Subsequently, the investigation found it was apparent that officials at all levels of government were aware for more than a year that a hazardous chemical, 全氟辛酸, had contaminated the Rensselaer County water system. However, residents were never warned to stop consuming from the villages public and private water supply.
来自可追溯至 2014 年 12 月的电子邮件线程的证据表明，EPA（环境保护署）已获悉水污染，但未能将此信息传递给公众。 2015 年 12 月，环境和卫生机构建议 Hoosick Falls David Borge 停止告诉居民饮用受污染的水是“个人选择”，因为他依赖“情况说明书”显然不会对健康产生不利影响正常使用村里的水。同月向居民发放了相同的情况说明书。
尽管一项广泛报道的健康研究清楚地将 PFOA（出现在该村供水中的同一种化学物质）与肾癌和其他多种疾病联系起来，但州卫生部仍保持沉默。这不仅是最近的发现，而且在 2009 年发布了一项咨询，警告短期接触 PFOA 含量超过万亿分之 400 的水是不安全的。然而，Hoosick Falls 的供水系统记录的水位超过 600 ppt。
PFOA is a toxic chemical that has been used since the 1940s to make industrial and household products such as nonstick coatings, specialty tapes and heat-resistant wiring. Several specialty manufacturing plants in eastern Rensselaer County and North Bennington, Vt., used the chemical for decades before studies emerged 10 years ago linking the substance to cancer and other serious diseases.
The effects were studied and shown in both lab animal tests and large human popular surveys and the results showed that being exposed to larger levels of PFOA over a longer period of time can cause:
- 癌症– mainly testicular and kidney cancer though others could also be made worse
- Pregnancy Problems – premature birth, low birth rate, blood pressure issues, and more
- Liver damage– accumulation of PFOA in the blood can cause damage to filtering kidneys
- Thyroid disease– delicate balance of the thyroid’s hormone regulation can be impacted
- Ulcerative colitis– digestive issues are also now being connected to PFOA poisoning
- Changes to cholesterol– medical experts are still trying to understand this effect
- Mental clarity-it is still being investigated by PFOA may have a mental impact as well
“It raises serious questions that the county and state would continue to assure residents the water was safe to drink even though the federal government had already warned residents to the contrary,” the House committee wrote in its letter to Cuomo.
Napoli Shkolnik attorneys remain at the forefront of this 环境诉讼 as it strives to bring justice to all Hoosick Falls residents involved in this unfortunate matter. Please contact us at (212) 397-1000 for updates and additional information.