News Briefs: Treated Leachate May Contribute to Vermont's PFAS Problem

A recent report by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is shining light on how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may find their way into the state’s waterways. The report shows that when PFAS-ridden mattresses, clothing, furniture, pots and pans are thrown away, the chemicals might not stay in the landfill. In an effort to find out how Bennington’s drinking water became contaminated with PFAS, the DEC has tested private wells, public water supplies, industrial sites, landfills and wastewater treatment facilities. “We pretty much found PFAS contamination in all the waste we analyzed,” the DEC’s Chuck Schwer tells WCAX