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Potential Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Former Merrimack Landfill

 

New Hampshire officials say they've found a potentially cancer-causing chemical in Merrimack's former landfill but cannot say whether it has contaminated nearby private wells.

The announcement Tuesday is the latest evidence the chemical PFOA is more widespread in New Hampshire than initially thought. The chemical was first found in more than 50 wells in towns surrounding the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics facility in Merrimack and has since been found in 11 private wells near a former manufacturing site in Amherst.

State officials say monitor wells near the Merrimack landfill showed PFOA levels more than five times limits recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. It's unclear how the chemical got into the landfill.

The plastics company says the chemical contamination can't be definitively linked to it. It says its focus is on providing communities with clean water.

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