A new chemical contaminant has been found in private wells in the Rensselaer County community of Petersburgh.
In a town already struggling with the chemical PFOA in water supplies, another industrial chemical, PFOS, was detected in samples from four private wells.
County Executive Kathy Jimino said company Taconic, whose Petersburgh facility is at the center of the PFOA investigation, said it had not used PFOS at the site.
"People who have this in their wells are understandably concerned, because although we know little about PFOA and the impact on people, we know even less about PFOS because it is not a contaminant we have had any dealings with before, nor do we know where this contaminant came from since Taconic said they had not used it," said Jimino.
Jimino said wells that showed signs of PFOS contamination will be retested. She said the County will work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to determine where the contamination is coming from.
