Jacobson urges re-testing of PFAS exposed residents

Posted 12/18/19

Assemblymember Jonathan G. Jacobson (D-104) is calling upon the State Department of Health and the School of Public Health at the University of Albany—in their new, federally funded study on …

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Jacobson urges re-testing of PFAS exposed residents

Posted

Assemblymember Jonathan G. Jacobson (D-104) is calling upon the State Department of Health and the School of Public Health at the University of Albany—in their new, federally funded study on PFAS exposure—to prioritize re-testing Newburgh residents and other New Yorkers whose PFAS-levels have previously been tested.

Jacobson said, “I was pleased to learn about this important study. Since many City of Newburgh residents—myself included—have already had their PFAS levels tested, this study offers a rare opportunity to measure whether or not residents’ elevated levels have decreased since they were originally tested in 2016 and 2017.”

Newburgh stopped sourcing its drinking water from PFAS-contaminated Washington Lake in May 2016. Washington Lake became contaminated by the military’s use of fire-fighting foam containing PFAS chemicals at Stewart Airport.

As a result of Jacobson’s advocacy and state-wide environmental groups, the Department of Health moved to adopt stricter standards on PFOA, PFOS, and 1,4 dioxane levels in drinking water earlier this year.

The $1 million grant has been jointly awarded to the New York State Department of Health and the University at Albany School of Public Health to fund the first year of a five-year project from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry.