Editor’s note: This commentary is by Coleen Healy, who is an educator and a parent living in North Bennington.
[I] urge Gov. Phill Scott to sign bill S.37, which would hold polluters responsible for medical monitoring costs.
I have lived in North Bennington for over 25 years. Both myself and my husband started businesses in Southern Vermont over 30 years ago. We were drawn to this area to raise a family in a state that was environmentally conscious, had pristine land and where we thought the voice of the people was valued in government.
We raised our children here, and there is not a day that goes by that I am not concerned for their health. Our family will hold the HIGHEST contamination levels in North Bennington and my children’s blood levels are outrageous. All due to PFAS in our water.
The first time I googled “PFAS,” I was immediately terrified for my family’s safety. Words including cancer, birth defects, and kidney disorders continued to pop up. These chemicals were manufactured for decades and continue to stay in the environment, often being referred to as “forever chemicals.”
As every parent does, I feel responsible for keeping my children out of harm’s way. I have always encouraged them to live an active healthy lifestyle and be contributing members of their community and state. I never thought that one of the biggest threats to them would be coming out of the faucet in our own home and from the earth that we grew our vegetables in. Our home is supposed to be a safe environment for them. Scott should sign the bill for the protection of my children.
Businesses that pollute people’s homes and bodies need to be held responsible. I am already worried enough about my kids. I should not have to worry about affording extra doctor’s appointments, my kids’ health, and pollution that I unknowingly exposed them to. Polluters should be held accountable for the medical costs caused by their toxic messes. We currently pay over $19,000 a year for basic health care and we need to pay out of pocket for any follow-up tests that we require.
This bill — S.37 — would allow Vermonters with a doctor’s recommendation to get medical monitoring for certain diseases paid for by polluters because of the toxic chemicals in their body. This bill would reassure parents of their kids’ health and give them peace of mind, without having to worry about the expense.
Although we are no longer consuming contaminated water, I worry for what the years of contamination have already done to us. I do not want families outside of North Bennington to have to go through similar concerns should they find out that they have been exposed to toxic chemicals either. Also — my taxes should not have to go to paying for something that a business caused.
Scott should sign this bill for the health and protection of all families in Vermont. It is right and fair for polluting business to take responsibility for the harm they have caused families.
