ALBANY — State officials are declaring a site in a Rensselaer County village a state Superfund site to address water contamination from a chemical used in making plastics similar to Teflon.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December warned residents of Hoosick Falls not to drink or cook with water from municipal wells after tests found contamination with PFOA, a chemical linked to cancer. The chemical was used in making high-performance plastics similar to Teflon until manufacturers agreed to phase it out by the end of 2015.
On Wednesday, New York's Acting Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said the state is making an emergency regulation designating PFOA a hazardous chemical. He said that will allow DEC to use its Superfund authority to investigate the extent of contamination and begin remediation.
