Monahan_Water_Diplomacy_Talk

Is Flint Unique? The case of Hoosick Falls, NY

Kyle Monahan | 3-14-2016Water Diplomacy Colloquium

Hoosick Falls, NY

Tufts University | Water Diplomacy Colloquium

Background


• Biggest employer is a plastics plant

• Less than 4,000 residents

• Water supply contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)

Why PFOA?


• Industry of course!

• PFOA used in production of plastics, firefighting foams and Teflon© type coatings

• Occurs throughout NY(Sinclair et al, 2006)

C8HF15O2

Why PFOA?


• You may know a similar chemical:

Hoosick Falls, NY - Background


• Toxicity is “unclear”

• Bio-accumulates & bio-concentrates• Piscivorous birds especially at risk (EPA,

2006)

• May cause: developmental, reproductive and other systematic effects (ATSDR, 2009).

Why Hoosick?




2006)


Why Hoosick?




2006)


Current Solutions?


• Temporary fix: activated carbon, bottled water, flushing systems

It’s not just Flint


Current Solutions?



But lead isn’t PFOA!

Many other chemical spills around US



• How do we deal with the high level of contamination already present?

• What about toxicity

• We have toxicity information on <2% of chemicals in use (Acosta, 2012).



• How do we deal with the high level of contamination already present?

• What about toxicity

• We have toxicity information on <2% of chemicals in use (Acosta, 2012).



Questions:


• How do we deal with the high level of contamination already present in the US?

• We have toxicity information on <2% of chemicals in use (Acosta, 2012). What do we do about less well-documented chemicals?

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Monahan_Water_Diplomacy_Talk