Hoosick Falls Water Contamination Settlement

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)is a man-made chemical that is used in the process of making Teflon and similar chemicals. This toxic chemical has been linked to cancer as well several other serious illnesses. Residents of Hoosick Falls and the Town of Hoosick have been unknowingly drinking a water supply with dangerous levels of PFOA that far exceed those deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New York State health officials.

While many of the factories in and around Hoosick Falls that are responsible for the contamination have been closed, their effect on the water levels remains. A synthetic acid and surfactant, PFOA is used in no-stick pots and pans, dental floss, floor wax and strippers, and treatments to make clothing and upholstery resistant to spills and stains.  Factories that used PFOA are responsible for discharging waste containing PFOA into the environment and deeply effecting the Town of Hoosick and Hoosick Falls.

Since these high PFOA levels were discovered in the drinking water in Hoosick, a number of lawsuits were filed against the companies responsible for their negligent practices. On July 22, 2021, a proposed $65.25 million settlement was announced. This settlement compensates Hoosick Falls residents for their exposure to PFOA. Three defendants agreed to the proposed class settlement: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., 3M Co., and Honeywell International Inc. One defendant, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., has not agreed to the settlement.

If you owned or rented a house in Hoosick Falls or the Town of Hoosick, whether you had private or public water access, you may be eligible to receive significant compensation from this $65 million class action settlement.