Hoosick Falls man takes a victory lap for EPA’s water rule [Video]

The Environmental Protection Agency for the first time is imposing a national limit on per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water, an issue many New Yorkers are unfortunately familar with.

The measure should reduce exposure for about 100 milion people and help prevent illnesses associated with the “forever chemicals,” including cancer. That’s something those who have experienced contamination firsthand say is bittersweet news.

“It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to be the lab rat in all this, but it’s really validated everything that we’ve done here and accomplished,” said Michael Hickey of Hoosick Falls, a community formally plagued by PFAS contamination.

After his father’s passing due to kidney cancer, as well as various illnesses of neighbors, he’s became an advocate for clean drinking water. Hickey was honored by the EPA in 2016 for discovering high levels of the potentially cancer-causing chemical PFOA in the Hoosick Falls water supply.

“In a small town, you know your …