DuPont Agrees to $27 Million Payout in Hoosick Falls Water Contamination, The chemical company was one of four businesses that contaminated the water supply in the upstate New York community. Residents have fought for nearly a decade for a settlement by Hilary Howard, July 9, 2025, NYT
A small town in upstate New York may be close to a final victory in a nearly decade-long legal battle against some of the nation’s biggest companies over the contamination of its water supply.
Corporate giant DuPont, one of the companies that produced a toxic chemical found in the water of Hoosick, a town with fewer than 7,000 people, has agreed to a $27 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit….
The contaminate was found in the public water supply of the village of Hoosick Falls and throughout some private wells of the town of Hoosick, which contains the village.
The matter was supposed to go to trial this week but was postponed because of progress in settlement negotiations, according to an announcement on Wednesday by lawyers for the plaintiffs.
The agreement would need preliminary approval from Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in U.S. District Court in Albany, N.Y. A period where class members can file claims would follow before the court can issue a final greenlight.
According to Hadley E. Lundback, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, there was no admission of liability by DuPont. A spokesman for the company said that he could not comment on active litigation.
That’s what criminal corporations always say when they are sued. The know the legal system was created and continues to protect them and their profits.
“We’ve accomplished everything I set out to do,” said Michael Hickey, one of those who sued after first discovering the tainted water in 2014. “I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”
If the settlement becomes final, it will be in addition to a 2021 agreement with three other companies, 3M, Saint-Gobain and Honeywell.
The total recovered for the town and its residents would be over $92 million after costs and legal fees.
The suit was filed in 2016 after high levels of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, were discovered in the water supply in and around Hoosick Falls. The toxic chemical has been linked in some studies to an increased risk for certain kinds of cancer.
“Blood testing has now demonstrated that individuals in the community have concentrations of PFOA in their blood that is, on average, over 30 times higher than the typical American,” the lawsuit said.
PFOA was formerly used in the making of Teflon in a fabric-coating plant in Hoosick Falls. The facility was operated by Saint-Gobain and Honeywell during separate stints. 3M would sell PFOA to DuPont, which would then sell products containing it that were used in the plant.
The PFOA, part of the “forever chemicals” family, a group of chemicals that do not break down in the environment, was emitted into the air and then fell to the ground, before entering the water supply for decades.
The discovery of PFOA in Hoosick began over 10 years ago, when Mr. Hickey, now 46, realized that there had been a pattern of illnesses around town after his father, who worked at the plant, died from kidney cancer. Mr. Hickey tested water samples that showed PFOA levels hundreds of times higher than those found in typical drinking water.
Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started to regulate forever chemicals, including PFOA, announcing that long-term exposure to high levels of PFOA in drinking water could result in adverse health effects.
This spring, a new groundwater supply about a mile outside Hoosick Falls became operational. Its construction was paid for by the past polluters and overseen by the state, which has also installed treatment systems in private wells.
In 2021, Saint-Gobain, Honeywell and 3M agreed to a $65 million settlement with the residents who took part in the suit. A judge approved it the following year. The agreement distributed over $20 million to eligible property owners and over $7 million to residents with private wells, while $22 million went toward funding a medical monitoring program.
DuPont was the final holdout. The corporation has been the subject of past class-action lawsuits involving forever chemicals, one of which included a $1 billion payout by DuPont and two other companies. The new settlement with Hoosick will provide an additional $6 million for medical monitoring, and the remainder will go toward residents for loss of property value.
The Proliferation of ‘Forever Chemicals’
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are hazardous compounds that pose a global threat to human health.
- Fertilizer made from sewage sludge has been spread on farms across America for decades. Scientists say it can contain high levels of “forever chemicals.”
- For the first time, the U.S. government is requiring municipal water systems to detect and remove PFAS from drinking water.
- A global study found harmful levels of PFAS in water samples taken far from any obvious source of contamination.
- Virtually indestructible, PFAS are used in fast-food packaging and countless household items.
- PFAS lurk in much of what we eat, drink and use, but scientists are only beginning to understand how they affect our health.
- Though no one can avoid forever chemicals entirely, Wirecutter offers tips on how to limit your exposure.
THIS DOCUMENTARY IS EXCELLENT:
How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet 54:08 Min. by Veritasium, May 14, 2025
The biggest chemical cover up in history. PFAS has polluted the entire global water system. Now, potentially dangerous forever chemicals are being found in the entire US population.
A huge thank you to Rob Bilott for his time and expertise. Check out his fantastic book: Bilott, R. (2019). Exposure. Simon and Schuster – https://ve42.co/7R
Rob’s story also inspired the 2019 film: Dark Waters.
Thank you to Doctor Mike for giving us a medical perspective on PFAS! Check him out at @DoctorMike
Thank you to Henrik Haggeman and the Puraffinity team, as well as Andrew Patterson and Eurofins, for doing the PFAS testing.
Thank you to Leslie Hamilton, Johns Hopkins APL, Alex Conrad, Imperial College London, Jana Avgustini, and Matija Krvavica for their help on the project.
Refer also to:
2025: Rural Saint-Louis region, France: Tap water *banned* because of PFAS contamination
2024: Dr. Sandra Steingraber on PFAS and PCBs.
2017: Australia Esso Longford plant: Toxic PFAS chemicals found in dam and groundwater
2013: USA Sues Exxon Fracker for polluting public drinking water with toxic waste in Pennsylvania
2013: Exxon MTBE Lawsuit: New Hampshire Jury Finds Oil Giant Liable In Groundwater Contamination
A jury in New Hampshire has ordered Exxon Mobil to pay $236 million in damages after finding the oil giant liable in a long-running lawsuit over groundwater contamination by the gasoline additive MTBE. Jurors sat through nearly three months of testimony in the longest state trial in New Hampshire history, but deliberated for only 90 minutes on Tuesday. The state sought $236 million to monitor and remediate groundwater contaminated by MTBE — which travels farther and faster in groundwater than gasoline without the additive. Lawyers for Exxon Mobil say the company used MTBE to meet federal Clean Air Act mandates to reduce air pollution and should not be held liable for sites contaminated by unnamed third parties, such as junk yard owners and independent gas station owners. Jurors had more than 400 exhibits to sift through, including memos and reports dating back decades.