Lawmakers in the state senate heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would force the state to lower the safe drinking standards for perfluorochemicals, a water contaminant.
Right now the state Department of Environmental Services uses a threshold of 70 parts per trillion when testing drinking water for PFCS, an industrial chemical used in non-stick pans and other products. That limit is based on the federal standard established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Representative Mindi Messmer, a Democrat from Rye, says New Hampshire needs to follow states like New Jersey and Vermont which have set their own lower standards for PFCs.
“We need the bill because right now the 70 parts per trillion is clearly not protective enough for the public health. We need to protect the people especially around the Coakley Landfill area from exposure in the future and now to PFCs.”
Officials at DES have raised concerns about the proposal. They say a lower threshold could be technically and financially unfeasible.
The bill faces a vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next Tuesday.
