Several private wells near the ChemFab plant have been found positive with an industrial chemical that has been reportedly linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and other serious complications during pregnancy.
This makes North Bennington the latest addition in the ever-growing list of communities in the Northeastern side petrified by the contaminated-water scare.
The perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, was first discovered across the New York border, in the village of Hoosick Falls. The chemical was found in the public drinking water and has pressed residents to buy bottled water regardless of the price. After New York, the chemical then was found in Merrimack, N.H., where another chemical plant is located.
"From an environmental perspective, we kind of fell asleep at the wheel when it came to those components," said Kiah Morris, the Vermont state representative whose legislative district includes Bennington. "There's things we didn't know, and there's things we hoped we wouldn't find out."
With these statistics, it is certain that a number of people will surely be affected with this tainted drinking water. The number of people affected by PFOA, according to NY Times, is expected to grow.
The chemical is said to be used to manufacture nonstick pans, microwaveable popcorn wrappers, and other related products. In other words, this chemical is used to practically produce anything that is nonstick, stain-resistant or water-repellent without having enough knowledge of its health effects and behaviour.
Despite the chemical continuously contaminating water across the country, scientists say that the government agencies do not yet understand the full extent of the problem. It also does not know what it will take to clean it up.
"I think when people look," said Arlene Blum, the executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute, "they're going to find it."
185 private wells are now being sampled in North Bennington, State of Vermont. All of these wells are within a 1.5-mile radius of the ChemFab plant, which, by the way, has closed in 2002. Bottled water has been distributed. Carbon-filtration systems, an imperfect and temporary fix, have been installed on some wells.
"Every time I think about it, I just feel like crying," said Virginia Barber, 64, who since 1977 has lived in a house no bigger than a trailer at the end of Scarey Lane, overlooking the factory. Hers was one of the first few wells in the village to test positive for PFOA.
