We are being bombarded by dangerous chemicals. Almost 30,000 people in the City of Newburgh who drank tap water between 1990 and 2016 were exposed to a class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). During that time period, the City’s main drinking water source, Lake Washington, as well as groundwater in Newburgh and New Windsor, was being polluted by PFAS. The PFAS came from fire-fighting foam which was used many times by Stewart Air National Guard Base up until 2017, and which can’t be filtered out using traditional methods. Since then, Newburgh has been fluctuating between the temporary drinking water sources of Browns Pond and the Catskill Aqueduct.

As a life-long Newburgh resident, it’s devastating to think about the decades-long exposure that my family and my community faced because of the PFAS in our water. The New York State Department of Health conducted blood tests for City of Newburgh residents and workers, and most of my family members were in the 95th percentile nationally — meaning that they had more PFAS in their blood than 95% of the country. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even low levels of PFAS exposure can lead to negative reproductive effects, increased cholesterol levels, hindered development in children, increased risk of several cancers, reduced ability to fight infections, and many other serious health concerns.

Unfortunately, in Newburgh we are not alone when it comes to PFAS contamination in our drinking water source. As of March 2019, at least 610 locations in 43 states are known to be contaminated with these chemicals, including drinking water systems serving an estimated 19 million people. Over 3,400 public water systems in New York State have tested positive for PFAS and about 50% of public water systems have detected some level of PFAS contamination. The fresh water resources we use to wash, drink, and cook continue to be under threat, not only from firefighting foam, but also from products that use PFAS for its non-stick and water-resistant properties.

Given how polluted our water already is with PFAS, it’s unfortunate that not only Newburgh, but all of New York State, is also being exposed to PFAS in the products that we use every single day. PFAS can be found in rugs, dental floss, textiles, paint, cosmetics, personal care products, menstrual products, and much more. New York State legislators missed an opportunity during this year’s legislative session, which ended in June, to pass bills three bills (S5648F/A3556E, S4265B/A6969B, and S3529C/A5990C) that would have eliminated PFAS in these common items; as well as a bill to require the testing of industrial and wastewater discharges released into waterways for the presence of PFAS (S227B/A3296A).

The bills to eliminate PFAS in key household products (S5648F) and menstrual products (S3529C) passed the senate, but Speaker Carl Heastie declined to bring these two bills up for a vote in the Assembly to protect public health. Had the bills passed, they would have saved Newburgh residents from further exposure to a chemical already so prevalent in our bodies due to decades of water contamination. In Newburgh, whether it’s turning on the faucet or buying some basic household necessities, we cannot do so without fear of exposing ourselves and our loved ones to more harmful PFAS.

Good policy on the state level would limit exposure to PFAS and ensure healthier, safer lives for all New Yorkers. Study after study continues to show the public health threat that PFAS poses, making it a no-brainer that New York must limit individuals’ exposure. When it comes to my friends and family, we simply cannot handle any more accumulation of PFAS in our already overburdened bodies. Next session, these bills must be a priority for the legislature, but in particular for the Assembly and Speaker Heastie.

Jennifer Rawlison is a member of the Newburgh Clean Water Project.