Scientific panel to discuss impact of PFOA contamination

PETERSBURGH, N. Y. » Four scientists working on a research project examining the effects of a reputed cancercausing chemical found in the municipal water supplies of two eastern Rensselaer County communities will discuss their findings at a public meeting scheduled for 7 p. m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Petersburgh Town Hall, 65 Main St.

The panel will feature David Bond, Tim Schroeder and Janet Foley from Bennington College in Vermont and Laura MacManus Spencer from Schenectady’s Union College will review their research into the impact of perfluorooctanoic acid, as well as the data they compiled, and ponder what questions remain. The group will also take questions from the audience.

PFOA was discovered in 2014 in the municipal water supply in Hoosick Falls and in 2016 in Petersburgh, with the contamination in both cases being attributed to manufacturers who had used the chemical for decades in the manufacture of products such as non- stick cookware and electrical insulation. Chronic exposure to PFOA has been linked to testicular and kidney cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis and pregnancy- induced hypertension.

The foursome was awarded a $ 300,000 Na-

tional Science Foundation grant to deepen and expand the response to PFOA contamination, which was also reported locally in North Bennington, Vermont, as well as at several downstate sites. The project, simply called “Understanding PFOA,” equipped a handful of classes in chemistry, geology and environmental studies at the college to produce independent data on PFOA contamination.

“Rather than just reading case studies of groundwater contamination incidents, our students will be actively investigating a local problem,” said Schroeder in a June news release explaining the program. “Students will learn about the science of PFOA contamination and, by visiting impacted communities, also learn why science matters.”

For more information on PFOA and the college’s research, visit www.bennington.edu/ center-advancementof- public- action/ understanding- pfoa.

State Museum to be open on Sept. 11

ALBANY, N. Y. » The New York State Museum will be open to the public from 9: 30 a. m. to 5 p. m. Monday, Sept. 11, to accommodate visitors with interest in viewing the museum’s exhibit, “The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response.”

The museum, located at 222 Madison Ave., in the Empire State Plaza, is typically closed to the public on Mondays, but will be open to mark the 16th anniversary of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Admission to the museum is free, and a guided tour of the exhibit will be offered at noon.

“The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response” details the history of the World Trade Center, the attacks, rescue efforts, recovery operations and the public response. It includes many objects, images, videos and interactive stations documenting this chapter in American history.

The State Museum is the nation’s largest repository of artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center site, with items rotated through the museum’s World Trade Center exhibit, which opened in September 2002. The museum also supports other institutions nationwide and around the world with World Trade Center- related exhibits.

More information about the exhibit is available at www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/worldtradecenter- rescue- recoveryresponse.

For more information about other programs and events, call 518- 474- 5877 or visit www.nysm.nysed.gov.