Law Firm Hosts Meeting About NH PFOA Water Contamination

MANCHESTER, NH - Weitz & Luxenberg, a New York law firm, will host a community meeting next week to discuss its investigation into perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination of the region’s drinking water, as well as legal options for residents moving forward, according to a press statement.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on June 6, 2016, at Southern New Hampshire University’s Dining Center Banquet Hall in Manchester.

“There are now eight communities in the state with dangerous levels of PFOA in their drinking water, and this number could grow as testing continues,” said consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, who joined Weitz & Luxenberg in its investigation. “It’s time residents had access to the information they deserve.”

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Weitz & Luxenberg and Brockovich began an investigation in March 2016 after PFOA was detected in Merrimack drinking water, and the law firm filed a federal class action lawsuit against Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. for its role in water contamination in Hoosick Falls, NY. St.

“St. Gobain has left a trail of contamination in the communities in which it operates, and we need to work together to ensure this stops immediately,” said Robin Greenwald, head of the Environmental and Consumer Protection Unit at Weitz & Luxenberg. “We urge residents in this community to come to the meeting to hear more about our investigation, as well as what we can do now to hold this company accountable.”

PFOA has also been detected in drinking water supplies in Amherst, Bedford, Litchfield, Londonderry, Merrimack, and Manchester, according to the state of New Hampshire.

The firm contends that chronic PFOA exposure has been linked to testicular cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis and pregnancy-induced hypertension, and studies suggest other health consequences include a possible connection to pancreatic cancer, according to the alert. The Environmental Protection Agency recently lowered the acceptable amount of PFOA in a water supply from 400 parts per trillion to 70 ppt.

Caption: The Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in Merrimack. Credit: Jeffrey Hastings/Frame of Mind Photography. FrameofMindPhoto.com.