Vermont to Begin Testing Bennington Area Residents for PFOA
More than 100 private water wells in the Bennington area have shown to have levels of PFOA as high as 3,000 parts-per-trillion (ppt). In Vermont, an advisory level has been set for drinking water that tests above 20 ppt.
The Vermont Health Department and the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center have teamed up to provide blood tests to residents in the area who believe they may have consumed contaminated drinking water. PFOA is a known carcinogen and toxicant in animals and has been linked to cancerous tumors in the liver, pancreas, mammary glands and testicles of mammals. In an unrelated class action lawsuit against DuPont, endocrinologists also suggested there was a high probability that PFOA was linked to:
- Ulcerative colitis
- Thyroid disease
- Hypercholesterolemia
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension
If you live in the Bennington area and suspect you have been exposed to higher levels of PFOA in drinking water, please contact your healthcare provider or make an appointment to have your blood tested at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center right away.