The Next Flint? Toxic Water Crisis Hits Small Town in Upstate New York
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Flint, Michigan isn't the only community facing a water crisis.
Back in December, the Environmental Protection Agency advised residents in the small community of Hoosick Falls, New York—about 40 miles northeast of the state capital of Albany—against drinking and cooking with village water. The water was found to have high levels of perfluoroctanoic acid, otherwise known as PFOA, a man-made chemical used in everything from Teflon to food wrappers.
Late last week, the state Department of Environmental Conservation named Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International as the parties responsible for the PFOA contamination in Hoosick Falls. Though Saint Gobain is the village of Hoosick's largest employer, residents are digging in their heels and demanding clean water.
Michael Hickey is a resident of Hoosick Falls. His father worked at Saint Gobain and passed away from kidney cancer three years ago. As he tells The Takeaway, it was 14 months before the EPA warning that Hickey suspected his father's death might have something to do with exposure to PFOAs.
