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Environmental Contamination
Environmental Contamination
Emergencies or events often involve environmental contaminants. The Health Department plays a role in ensuring that Vermonters are kept safe and healthy from any hazardous biological, chemical or radiological contaminant that is in food, water or air.
In This Section
Act 66, passed in 2019, requires all Vermont school and child care providers to test their drinking and cooking water for lead. If lead is found at or above the action level, the tap must be taken out of service until lead levels are below the action level.
The Vermont Department of Health will be providing for blood tests for some people who may have been affected by PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) contamination of drinking water in Bennington and Nort
The Vermont Department of Health worked with the Department of Environmental Conservation to respond to health concerns related to detection of the chemical PFOA in private drinking water wells in Bennington and North Bennington.
The Health Department protects health by making recommendations to the Department of Environmental Conservation about chemicals in drinking water. In 2016, two things triggered a change in thinking about the application of TFM (lampricide) to the LaPlatte River.
The Vermont Department of Health worked with the Agency of Agriculture to investigate the misue of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in treating residences in the Rutland area for bed bugs and other pests.
In January 2010 Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station notified the Health Department that samples taken in November 2009 from a ground water monitoring well contained tritium, signaling an unintended release of radioactive material.