The NH Attorney General’s lawsuit against PFAS manufacturers in NH is great news. But NH still needs a program of comprehensive testing and tighter drinking water standards.
Mindi Messmer of Safe Water Alliance and other stakeholders got SB-309 – concerning safe drinking water – into law in June 2018; rulemaking is in progress.
The CDC data says that NH has the highest rates of pediatric, breast, bladder and esophageal cancer in the nation.
Even after legislation or litigation, compliance is slow at Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Merrimack, Coakley Landfill Superfund dump in North Hampton, and Ottati & Goss Superfund Site in Kingston.
Reliable medical studies link PFAS to specific cancers, reproductive impacts and other chronic diseases.
Toxic waste disposal of GenX, Dupont’s latest PFAS product, is the target of lawsuits in Texas, Virginia, the Netherlands and Italy. Five states opted for more stringent drinking water standards than those set by the EPA (staffed by former Dupont execs).
“No evidence” doesn’t mean your water is not impacted by this crisis. In my town, NH DES checked the Gilson Road Superfund site in 2018, found PFAS “present” and said, “further delineation is warranted.”
What’s the story in your town? Hold your elected representatives accountable. To learn more about PFAS, check the Facebook page of NH Safe Water Alliance for future screenings of the Devil We Know or visit http://bit.ly/NHSWA. Support our Seacoast: Go to http://bit.ly/senate494 to urge your senators to support HB494 – to accelerate cleanup of the Coakley Landfill Superfund site. Then keep going!
Suzanne Paquin
Nashua