Saint-Gobain Stack Releasing Perfluorooctanoic Acid

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) announced on July 21, 2016, that results of stack emissions testing of the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Inc. facility in Merrimack indicate that small amounts of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are being emitted from the facility, according to a press statement.

The stack emissions testing was conducted on May 2 and 3, 2016. According to Jim Martin, the public information officer for the state, the tests showed "low level concentrations of perfluorochemicals (PFCs), including PFOA, being emitted." The levels translate to less than 2 ounces of PFOA being released per year, he noted.

"These emissions do not violate any ambient air quality standard, either state or federal," Martin stated.

Martin said potential sources of the PFOA may include: Chemicals supplied to Saint-Gobain for manufacturing purposes and residual materials contained within the stack emissions at the plant.

Saint-Gobain has agreed to clean these residues from the stacks and perform new emissions testing in early August while the NH DES observes the testing from start to finish.

The NHDES is also seeking formulation details from Saint-Gobain’s suppliers to determine whether the chemicals being supplied to the company contain PFOA or perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS).

For more information regarding NHDES’s investigation into PFCs found in southern New Hampshire drinking water, visit des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pfoa.htm.

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