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Plainfield Township, Michigan -- Monday, Oct. 23, 2017

Meaghan Schweinzger watches her children Jackson, 9, at left, and Kaycee, 5, play at home. Adjacent to their property is a dumpsite for toxic leather scraps. The Schweinzgers' tap water, which comes from a well, has been tested for perfluoroctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a result of the Scotchgard used to protect the shoe leather.

The scraps have been buried for decades in the soil in Belmont, Illinois near Rockford. New test results show that waterproofing chemicals in those scraps have tainted the area’s drinking water.

CREDIT: Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times
30212488A

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Plainfield Township, Michigan -- Monday, Oct. 23, 2017<br /> <br /> Meaghan Schweinzger watches her children Jackson, 9, at left, and Kaycee, 5, play at home. Adjacent to their property is a dumpsite for toxic leather scraps. The Schweinzgers' tap water, which comes from a well, has been tested for perfluoroctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a result of the Scotchgard used to protect the shoe leather.<br /> <br /> The scraps have been buried for decades in the soil in Belmont, Illinois near Rockford. New test results show that waterproofing chemicals in those scraps have tainted the area’s drinking water. <br /> <br /> CREDIT: Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times <br /> 30212488A
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