ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)–The deadline to apply for PFOA settlement money in Hoosick Falls is fast approaching. Residents who qualify only have 4 more days to submit their paperwork.
It’s been roughly seven years since cancer causing chemicals called PFOA were discovered in Hoosick Falls’ drinking water. A resident named Michael Hickey was the first to question what was in the water supply after his dad passed away from kidney cancer.
“It’s been a really long journey for me and my family,” said Hickey. “It hasn’t always been the easiest, but I think as a whole for our community, I think my dad would be proud of what we accomplished.”
After years of waiting, Saint-Gobain, Honeywell, and 3M— the companies deemed responsible for the water contamination in Hoosick Falls, reaching a settlement of $65 million to compensate residents who’ve been impacted. The settlement classes include property settlement, nuisance settlement, and medical monitoring.
“If you owned a property in the village and 500 homes in the town at the time the contamination was discovered, which was January 2016, you just have to fill out the paperwork,” said Hickey. “Most people should have gotten the claim paperwork In the mail but there is also the PFOA website as well they can go on and fill the claim on there.”
When it comes to medical monitoring, the goal is to catch diseases early, like kidney cancer, that has been linked to PFOA.
“An annual screening for people who have blood levels over 1.869 of PFOA in their blood who drank from a contaminated water source for at least 6 months between ‘96 and 2016,” explained Stephen Schwarz, a class action lawyer.
Both Schwarz and Hickey advise Hoosick Falls residents who qualify to make a claim before Monday’s deadline.
“The money is there. It’s available,” said Hickey. “We worked a long time to get to this point. No number, dollar figure could make up for the things that occurred over the last 7-8, years but I feel like we are in a better place as a village and as a community.”
A hearing will be held in Albany’s federal court on February 2nd so a judge can confirm the settlement. After that happens, checks will likely be distributed to residents in April or May and the medical monitoring process will begin.