Meetings to Be Held on Status of PFAS Chemicals in New Hampshire Communities

Meetings will be held online for three southern New Hampshire communities to give the public updates on the status of chemicals found in the water, the Department of Environmental Services said.

The meetings are scheduled for Litchfield on May 17, Londonderry on May 20, and Merrimack on May 25. All are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

The agenda will include a background on PFAS in southern New Hampshire as it relates to each town; health effects; actions to mitigate exposure; and other topics.

PFAS, referred to as “forever chemicals,” have been used since the 1950s in products such as firefighting foam, non-stick cookware and water repellent fabrics.

The state had found that emissions from a plastics plant contaminated more than 1,000 private wells in Merrimack, Bedford, Litchfield, Manchester and Londonderry – many of which now have been connected to public water systems.