New York State's Health Department says the average level of the toxic chemical PFOA in the blood of 2,000 Hoosick Falls residents was about 10 times that of the general population.
The average level was 23.5 micrograms per liter, compared to 2-6 micrograms nationwide. By comparison, people living in a PFOA contaminated area around a West Virginia DuPont facility had blood levels averaging as high as 228 micrograms per liter.
The Health Department has mailed test results to residents and is continuing testing as part of the state's investigation of the village's water supply contamination.
The Department of Environmental Conservation says Friday it has signed agreements with Honeywell International and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics to pay for the cleanup.
The chemical PFOA, used for decades in nonstick coatings, has been linked to cancer and other illness.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
