In March, The Rensselaer School Board joined the call to shut the landfill down, and recently held a public informational meeting with the Rensselaer Environmental Coalition at Rensselaer High School on Dunn’s permit renewal process, aimed at getting more people to participate. The landfill’s existing permit expires in mid-July.
During the meeting that lasted over two hours, New England Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Director Kayla Bennett told attendees alarming levels of PFOA and PFOS are coming off the landfill.
“Which is being breathed by the residents and the people who go to that school,” said Bennett. “It’s likely it’s in the soil. So if you’re growing vegetables, I don’t think I would eat them. It’s in the water. Remember the Hudson River, the effluent from the wastewater treatment plant in Albany goes into the Hudson River and that provides drinking water supply for 500,000 people. … Dunn landfill is a source of PFAS for both the city of Rensselaer and the Hudson River. The routes of exposure may include dust, the soil, the water, vegetables and fruits that you grow kids playing in the soil or sandboxes whatever around that area, you will be exposed. “
