​Merrimack Cancer Rates Are 'Consistent' With The Rest Of NH

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health Services (DPHS), released an extensive study on cancer rates in the town of Merrimack and found that they were "consistent with the rest of the state," according to the report. The report analyzed a 10-year span of data from the town after concerns about "potential health effects of environmental exposures" in the wake of the discovering of perfluorochemical and perfluorooctanic acid from the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant, and the fear of cancer brought by the water contamination. The state used data from the New Hampshire Cancer Registry and examined incidence rates for 26 different types of cancer over a 10-year span.

“To determine whether there are more cancer cases in Merrimack than we would expect to see, we compared the occurrence of 26 different types of cancer in Merrimack with cancer rates in the rest of the state,” said Lisa Morris, DPHS Director. “Based on Cancer Registry data, we have not found elevated numbers of various cancers in Merrimack.”

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According to the state, some cancers — including kidney, testicular, and prostate cancer — have been found in some studies to potentially be related to PFC exposure.

The NH DHHS noted that the science around cancers, PFC exposure, and other health and environmental concerns, :can evolve from one year to the next," and the state will "continue to monitor rates of cancer in Merrimack and share any new developments with Merrimack residents and local and state officials."

The full Merrimack Cancer Incidence Report is here: dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/pfcs/documents/merrimack-cancer-012018.pdf.

Since PFCs were found in the water supply in Merrimack, testing spread to a number of neighboring towns where contamination was also found in wells.

Image via Jeffrey Hastings/frameofmindphoto.com, used with permission.