Fingerlakes1.com
Menu
Norlite’s incinerator 10 miles north of Albany.
Recently disclosed emails on the burning of PFAS-laced fire-fighting foam at an incinerator 10 miles north of Albany have prompted calls for the state Inspector General to investigate the staff of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The emails raise new questions about when the agency learned that the Norlite incinerator was secretly burning the highly toxic foam and why it didn’t halt the practice sooner.
During 2018 and 2019, Norlite incinerated at least 2.4 million pounds of the foam, known as AFFF. It was imported from military sites in 25 states under a contract Norlite’s parent company had with the Department of Defense, which has been cancelled.
Norlite resumes public safety payment to Cohoes after year off
FacebookTwitterEmail 5
1of5Buy PhotoMayor Bill Keeler wears a campaign pin as all numbers are calculated for Census Day at Cohoes City Hall on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 in Cohoes, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)Lori Van Buren/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
2of5
Cohoes will vote Tuesday on a proposed hazardous waste tax that would be paid by the Norlite aggregate plant.Times Union file photoShow MoreShow Less
3of5
4of5Buy PhotoA view of Saratoga Sites public housing with the Norlite plant seen in the far background behind pine trees on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Cohoes, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
4:36
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation held a four-hour meeting online Wednesday evening to speak with Cohoes residents about the Norlite incinerator, the subject of ongoing environmental concerns.
Norlite has been the focus of public scrutiny over the past year after it emerged the plant was burning PFAS-laden firefighting foam for the U.S. Defense Department.
In November, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to ban such burning at the plant, which is located near the Saratoga Sites public housing project.
Click on image to enlarge.
Concerns mounted at the end of January, when activists said recent test results show tiny particles described as silica dust laden with tiny glass shards blow off Norlite s aggregate piles, constantly accumulating on every surface at the housing complex across the street from the facility, and likely pose a significant health risk to residents.
Neighbors worry about hazardous dust around Norlite plant
Quartz silicate dust, while common, is associated with lung ailments
FacebookTwitterEmail 9
1of9Saratoga Sites resident Joe Ritchie stands in the courtyard of the housing units on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Cohoes, N.Y. Ritchie who has raised concerns about air pollution from the neighboring Norlite aggregate plant, seen in the background. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
2of9Saratoga Sites resident Joe Ritchie stands on the front steps of his home on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Cohoes, N.Y. Ritchie who has raised concerns about air pollution from the neighboring Norlite aggregate plant, seen in the far background. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less