MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire town on Monday asked the state to temporarily shut down a plastics company after it says higher concentrations of a hazardous chemical were found in groundwater.
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics used PFOA at its Merrimack plant. The chemical has been linked to certain kinds of cancer and thyroid disease.
The town, the state and Saint-Gobain have been working on groundwater contamination since 2016. In letters sent Monday to Saint-Gobain and to the Department of Environmental Resources, the town said it was told Saint-Gobain stopped using the chemical in 2014, but testing this year shows the results are getting worse.
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“It would be beneficial if the Town Council, the State and Saint-Gobain could work cooperatively to correct and prevent the environmental impacts and health threats imposed on the Merrimack community,” the letter to Saint-Gobain said. “However, recent evidence appears to indicate that Saint-Gobain has not and is not acting in good faith to protect the citizens of Merrimack and other surrounding communities.”
A message seeking comment was left with Saint-Gobain. In a statement to WMUR-TV, a spokeswoman said Saint-Gobain doesn’t believe a presentation shared at a Merrimack Town Council meeting is a fair representation of the sampling events at the plant.
“The PowerPoint shared cherry-picks the highest concentration of results - from numerous taken at each location - and ignores the vast majority of the data collected,” Lia LoBello of Saint-Gobain said. “All of these results have been reviewed by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) as part of a larger sampling program we have in place. We continue to work with the state to take action when needed and monitor where appropriate.”
A message seeking comment also was left for the DES.
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