Read full article by Mark Hyman (Sinclair Broadcast Group)

“WASHINGTON (SBG) – Loreen Hackett is a lifelong resident of Hoosick Falls, New York. She’s also had a lifetime of exposure to a toxic chemical in the local water.

‘I’m toast. I’m done. It’s too late for me. You can’t reverse all the things that I have.‘

Hackett is just one of the thousands of Hoosick Falls residents exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid. Commonly known as PFOA, it’s a chemical that was used in local factories to manufacture numerous products…

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ordered two companies to pay for water filters at the local water plant.

And in each home using contaminated well-water. Some people, like Silvia Potter, have doubts water filters are the solution.

‘I still use bottled water. And I don’t know anybody who actually uses the tap water‘…

Nearly 70,000 people with PFOA contamination in their local water were examined and it was determined that PFOA could cause serious health risks to pregnancies and child development, to immune and hormone systems and cause cancer.

Manufacturers phased-out the use of PFOA as of 2015. But for Hoosick Falls residents like Kevin Allard, it came much too late. Both of his parents died from cancer.

‘The cancer that my dad had, there’s another guy in Hoosick Falls that has it. You see about five of those a year throughout the country, and there’s two here‘…

Dr. David Carpenter of the University at Albany says people with high PFOA levels will have it for the rest of their lives.

In 2017, the New York State Department of Health issued a report claiming PFOA hasn’t caused any health problems in Hoosick Falls. But the report is wrong, says Carpenter.

‘That investigation was limited. It was flawed. What was inappropriate was the conclusion from the report, that there was nothing to worry about‘…

And while this community knows the dangers they face, others around the nation may not realize their water may have PFOA contamination.

For those communities, Village of Hoosick Falls Mayor Rob Allen has some advice.

‘It’s important to look into it because it’s the health of our constituents, this is the health of our citizens, our families.‘”