by Alex Brooks
On Monday March 14, the Rensselaer County Department of Health released the results of private well testing for PFOA contamination from the wells of 50 private homes, mainly within a half mile of the Taconic plant in Petersburgh. Twenty of the fifty samples contained PFOA at levels higher than the current EPA standard of 100 parts per trillion.
[private]The highest result was 2100 parts per trillion (ppt). Six of the samples tested showed levels between 1001 ppt and 2100 ppt. 14 of the samples showed concentrations of PFOA between 101 ppt and 1000 ppt. 6 samples had levels of PFOA between 21 ppt and 100 ppt. 13 samples showed levels of PFOA of 20 ppt or lower, and in 11 of the samples no PFOA was detected at all.
The lab testing was performed by Pace Analytical through Bender Labs. Pace Analytical is an Environmental Protection Agency Certified Lab. Non-detect in these samples was defined as less that 0.67 ppt.
Taconic has agreed to install and pay for a filter system on any home in Petersburgh found to have a PFOA concentration of 100 parts per trillion or greater, which is the current EPA guidance for PFOA in drinking water.
The County in conjunction with the NYS Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation is continuing the water testing program and will release the results as they become available. For more information on the groundwater study please contact the Rensselaer County Health Department at 518-270-2655.
The County has also been testing municipal water systems. They released three new test results from this program. Hampton Manor (East Greenbush) was found to have 3.8 ppt of PFOA, the Village of Nassau was found to have 6.3 ppt, and PFOA was not detected in water from the Village of Castleton, which means it has less that 0.67 ppt.[/private]