Hempstead Sues Chemical Companies Over Water Contamination

Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen announced Tuesday the town filed a lawsuit in federal court to hold industrial manufacturers accountable for the costs of removing 1,4-Dioxane, a highly toxic chemical, from the town’s drinking water supply wells. 1,4-Dioxane is a synthetic chemical that is found in many products. According to the EPA, it is often used to stabilize solvents in the ground, is a byproduct of textile production, is used as a purifier in the production of pharmaceuticals, and is a byproduct of manufacturing certain types of plastic.

According to the EPA, 1,4-Dioxane is "likely carcinogenic in humans." Prolonged exposure to a purer form of the chemical can also cause skin, kidney and liver damage.

The chemical has been found in a majority of water sources on Long Island.

Hempstead accuses Dow Chemical Company, Ferro Corporation and Vulcan Materials Company of knowingly and willfully manufacturing, promoting and/or selling products containing 1,4-Dioxane to local consumers, when they knew the chemical would eventually make its way into local water supply wells.

Hempstead operates 29 active public wells serving a population of approximately 120,000 people. All of those wells are either contaminated or threatened by 1,4-Dioxane contamination spreading throughout the aquifer system from which the town draws its drinking water, officials said.

“The Town of Hempstead has already begun taking action to ensure that this toxic chemical won’t harm our residents, but the costs associated with cleaning up this mess should not be borne by our taxpayers,” said Gillen.

Gillen said the town is seeking damages to cover the cost of building and operating new water treatment facilities equipped with the ability to rid 1,4-Dioxane from the water supply, as well as punitive damages.

“Clean, safe drinking water is a human right and those who threaten that right will have to pay the price,” Gillen said.