ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is holding Saint-Gobain Plastics and Honeywell International responsible for the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in Hoosick Falls.

That finding was part of the DEC’s preliminary investigation, which also found Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International used PFOA for decades.

Using state Superfund authority, the DEC will hold Saint-Gobain and Honeywell liable for the full investigation and contamination cleanup. Officials say there could possibly be other companies held liable.

The DEC has sent those two companies letters demanding they enter binding consent orders to pay for an investigation and pay for the clean up the PFOA.

PFOA is a chemical that’s been linked to cancer. Saint-Gobain notified the EPA that PFOA was found in the village’s water in December of 2014.

Honeywell officials released a statement which said, “Honeywell sent the New York State Department of Health a letter on Friday, February 5^th offering our cooperation and assistance.  We met with agency officials on Monday again offering cooperation.  We are committed to continued cooperation.”

Saint-Gobain also released a statement which reads, in part, “This letter does not alter Saint-Gobain’s desire to work cooperatively with all parties in identifying and implementing solutions to resolve this matter including our voluntarily funding the distribution of bottled water, funding the installation of a temporary water filtration system which should be online next week and funding a long-term water filtration system expected to be in place by October.”

See also:

Feb 5, 2016, Letter from D. Evan van Hook, Corporate Vice President of Honeywell to Commissioner Howard Zucker, M.D., of the NY DEC.

Feb 11, 2-16, Letter from the New York State Office of General Counsel of the DEC, Demand related to Hoosick Falls Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) contamination; to Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation in Hoosick Falls NY and to Mr. D. Evan Van Hook, Corporate Vice President, Honeywell, Morris Plains, NJ.