Merrimack Plant Samples: PFOA Up to 5,800 PPT

MERRIMACK, NH - The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services released “preliminary sample results for groundwater and soil samples” on April 14, 2016, that were taken at the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics facility in Merrimack and found perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations ranging from 280 parts per trillion (ppt) to 5,800 ppt in groundwater, according to a press statement.

Soil samples, according to Jim Martin of the NH DES, ranged from non-detect to 30 parts per billion (ppb).

“NHDES compared these results against residential soil screening levels developed by the U.S. EPA Region 4 of 16,000 ppb and the state of Vermont, which currently has a residential soil screening level of 0.3 mg/kg (equivalent to 300 ppb),” he said. “The soil sample levels of PFOA detected at the Saint-Gobain facility are well below either of these screening values.”

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The department, however, was requesting Saint-Gobain to begin testing soil at “properties with sensitive populations,” which would include schools, playgrounds, and daycare centers, within a 1-mile radius of the facility. Eight locations have been identified in Merrimack and Litchfield for testing, according to Martin.

“(The) NH DES has reviewed and commented on a draft work scope, and testing is anticipated to begin late next week,” he stated. “The study area will be expanded if the testing results indicate the presence of elevated PFOA or other PFCs in the soil.”

The study will be completed by Saint-Gobain’s environmental consultants, under the direction of a NH-licensed professional engineer/geologist. The department will also be overseeing the testing.

For more information related to the investigation, visit des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pfoa.htm.

File photo courtesy of Jeffrey Hastings/Frame of Mind Photography FrameofMindPhoto.com.