NEWBURGH – As the issue of carcinogenic PFOS in Washington Lake, the City of Newburgh’s drinking water reservoir continues, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney announced Tuesday that he is introducing legislation to have a $15 million, two-year study by the Centers for Disease Control into the long-term effects of the chemical on the human body, and its potential of cancerous implications.
Maloney, with local officials, at PFOS-contaminated Lake Washington
Maloney also announced while near the city’s water source that a companion bill would require the EPA to test water for PFOS and PFOA in communities under 10,000 residents.
These pieces of legislation would represent some major advances toward a solution, if passed, but local officials are saying the main concern being submitted by residents still relates to blood testing.
The Department of Health (DOH) launched a blood monitoring program within the City of Newburgh about a month ago.
Newburgh City Manager Michael Ciaravino said there are currently about 180 people signed up for that program, although no actual blood testing has been done at this juncture.
Ciaravino spoke to state health department officials last week and there are some issues regarding funding. He is hoping, by the next Newburgh water forum on October 25 at the Newburgh Armory, they will have an update as to whether, or not, they can use the $100 million + in the National Guard Superfund.
“For me, the only source of readily identifiable money is in the Superfund; so, maybe there’ll be a further discussion about what bureaucratic hurdles need to be overcame in how the Superfund is administered to enable the release of monies to assist the Department of Health in conducting these studies,” said Ciaravino.
The proposed legislation is being sponsored in the upper house by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
