[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6177307,"mediaKeyId","5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1","parentId",5340834,"title","DHHS updates pilot design for Merrimack cancer feasibility study; adds blood and toenail sampling","audioSeconds",369,"startMs",6736000,"endMs",7105000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1&start=6736&end=7105","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1/thumbnail_6736000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6177307/New-Hampshire/DHHS-updates-pilot-design-for-Merrimack-cancer-feasibility-study-adds-blood-and-toenail-sampling","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177307-51507c663426ebd5ef16ac9cb5af5080/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137321&Signature=jLVMxuI3MEMze5WYYw7hpIllYB50-P5SC4LrVT68JYBuz32HgYhHDwPSEbOmEuj3vhnWDkuC7h53tCkJfruHOjyipNhZ4mFEAS-ZLUmT3SIWQuQkldrhwoH0bYati8ebb7e2pIEuvHRbj0bBwE3zfq~el5u6rt6LLl4sXSKpTqCKbdr7-I8M43iKSJscDFKoA4xtieuGwu7f7MEsmc4P5cHSVCdySnw6YlW-fPDlMDS3eml6lfZUSzgvlG-fR9tdpPGxBMNikQuc0igm3-D5ce~5Zhk~ULnjfg-hQvcK5~eXFQpp~vX31zTK-Loj7ZOnrjqLbIn5~aNjD1MKlEluig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Environmental Service Department NH","date","2025-07-09T16:09:30Z","article","Whitney Hammond, deputy director for the Division of Public Health Services at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, updated the commission on June 13 on the Merrimack cancer feasibility study. The study’s steering committee completed its regular monthly schedule and the research team is moving to pilot activities designed to test the feasibility of a larger study.

Hammond said the feasibility work has four components: community engagement studios and an online feedback form, cancer‑registry data analysis, a University of New Hampshire feasibility survey, and a Dartmouth pilot study. The cancer‑registry analysis and the UNH survey findings were being finalized and will be included in a final report to DHHS this month.

Hammond said Dartmouth has received almost 3,000 responses to the study eligibility questionnaire but that the submission set contained a high volume of bot activity; after screening, Dartmouth identified at least 40 real respondents who are both interested and eligible for the pilot. “We got almost 3,000 responses to the eligibility questionnaire. And, unfortunately… there’s been a lot of bot activity,” Hammond said.

The Dartmouth pilot will proceed with recruitment and has amended its IRB‑approved protocol to add home self‑collection of finger‑prick blood samples and toenail clippings. Hammond said blood samples will be stored and shipped to Eurofins for PFAS testing and that participants will receive results unless they opt out; toenail samples will be archived for later metal testing.

Hammond described outreach used for recruitment: the Granite State Panel was contacted, DES circulated the flyer to its PFAS list, the flyer was posted at town halls and libraries, distributed at oncology clinics and physician networks, and advertisements ran in local newspapers. Initial recruitment is focused on the pilot’s feasibility aims, including verifying recruitment pathways, consent and sample logistics.

The steering committee will remain available for ad hoc meetings; the pilot’s findings will inform whether a larger, hypothesis‑driven epidemiologic study is feasible and how it should be structured. DHHS said it will continue recruitment and the pilot sampling while preparing the final phase‑3 report.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 2025: HB 737 Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Whitney Hammond, deputy director for the Division of Public Health Services at DHHS, told the commission that the Merrimack cancer feasibility study has moved to a pilot phase and that Dartmouth has amended its IRB protocol to include at‑home finger‑prick blood and toenail sample collection for enrolled pilot participants.","taxTitle","Environmental Service Department, State Government Agencies, Executive, New Hampshire","taxId",37496,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6177310,"DES: Saint‑Gobain demolition nearly complete; bottled water, POET installs and water‑main work continue",563,4693000,5256000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1&start=4693&end=5256","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1/thumbnail_4693000.jpg","/articles/6177310/New-Hampshire/DES-SaintGobain-demolition-nearly-complete-bottled-water-POET-installs-and-watermain-work-continue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177310-cdc51d5d2ad458f4a867e7657597a554/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137321&Signature=DN5S~TTC5~8TIH1t4xzhOZLNIz5vqfAIYrJvea-vKWkgEW5OTAaBXBhQjjsi9GKtvS6ktje-mQDrKfsLb3kfomtguSa4ABOweecaes0MIn4Hj55ijkcS0W3ae9G0SW0fuPUsJXESHmt0uUoaA1ngU9df1oPSULKQ51PN0SYGlTUUBoIzt~ULeCxxbdlp59dUkjoeSSRgMbFcDwQkCYXNaKreKLFG0RSrMBuYzCCi-j3ndxYLNkE25E3aJkGOD7RXja0WarLs9nenUbtJK-FTjM1S5lr2WE-s6PxaLwrvg-wKQXAMtGHyQxds9hPirb1XG1PX805zGtdfl1S3UUDmng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Andy Fuller, project manager in DES’s Hazardous Waste Remediation Bureau, updated the commission on the Saint‑Gobain Performance Plastics site in Merrimack on June 13, reporting that demolition of the former manufacturing facility is nearly complete, point‑of‑entry treatment systems have been installed at hundreds of properties, and DES has requested additional data and a revised remedial action addendum from Saint‑Gobain.

“As of June 6, the demolition of the former facility is nearly a 100% complete,” Fuller said, noting that fencing and cameras remain and that Saint‑Gobain is evaluating potential PFAS leaching from the concrete using EPA’s LEAF framework and simulated runoff testing.

Fuller said contractors Second Wind Water Systems and Culligan have installed point‑of‑entry treatment (POET) systems for residents in the consent‑decree area: DES identified approximately 831 eligible properties and reported 708 POET systems installed as of June 4. He reported ongoing periodic maintenance by contractors and that DES will review annual summary reports of installation and maintenance activity.

On municipal water connections, Fuller said design and construction continue in the Litchfield/Bedford/Londonderry/Merrimack areas; in one referenced neighborhood 25 of 26 properties had completed exterior service connections and interior water meter installs and bottled water service is being discontinued in those properties. Fuller said DES expects additional attachments to Saint‑Gobain’s earlier term sheets and anticipated receiving a further update (term sheet 26) in early July.

Fuller summarized the long‑term well monitoring program: Saint‑Gobain is operating under a groundwater management zone work plan that will generally result in about six samples from eligible properties by the end of 2026; Fuller said that, as of the June update, roughly 769 properties had been sampled under the long‑term monitoring effort and that sampling was being conducted at a pace (roughly 150–200 properties per month) to meet the planned schedule. He said about 77 additional properties were identified as exceeding ambient groundwater quality standards for PFOA and were offered bottled water after identification.

Fuller told the commission that Saint‑Gobain’s submitted remedial action plan and remedial addendum did not meet DES requirements and that DES provided a detailed deficiency letter last October. Saint‑Gobain intends to submit a supplemental investigation work plan to address data gaps identified by DES and to support a revised remedial addendum.

Fuller also raised a soil‑disposition issue: a nearby property at 702 Daniel Webster Highway submitted voluntary soil testing that found PFAS in soil excavated for development. The property owner generated a soil pile that could not be reused on site; DES requested that Saint‑Gobain address the disposition of that soil and said the final disposition had not been determined at the time of the update.

Commission members and residents raised requests for expanded off‑site sampling of creeks, brooks and public areas and for clearer public communication on where PFAS contamination has been found. Fuller said DES would consider revisiting off‑site data points and that soil‑management plans for disposition could be applied when similar situations arise. Fuller noted that projects triggering alteration of terrain or other state permits are relayed to the remediation bureau for review and that balanced‑site practices (keeping soils on site) remain a priority.

DES continues to require remedial reporting, periodic status submissions by Saint‑Gobain, and additional investigation work to support an updated remedial action plan; the agency said it will review and comment on any supplemental work plans submitted by the company.

","Andy Fuller, project manager in DES’s Hazardous Waste Remediation Bureau, updated the commission on June 13 that demolition at the former Saint‑Gobain Performance Plastics facility is nearly complete, POET systems have been installed at most eligible properties, and DES has requested additional remedial investigation and a revised remedial addendum from Saint‑Gobain.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6177315,"NH DES details PFAS monitoring, biosolids screening plan and funding for pilot projects",2286,167000,2453000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1&start=167&end=2453","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5340834-4d111960cde1d55b22ff168a081c85d1/thumbnail_167000.jpg","/articles/6177315/New-Hampshire/NH-DES-details-PFAS-monitoring-biosolids-screening-plan-and-funding-for-pilot-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177315-5206cb58a6973590c67b821cec9cb9ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137321&Signature=JPZ6CRlLDREebtsJwkmrs6DYWt8Oo3KYBKvztOvvYa1fwB4dbSt7pOqeC8MbgDj0Z0W~SUGd-D6MaI-gzCOaWKahVaPxo3bQc1UJnom61GjBx1lOR38vzDSYFWM3kUjvbbK4qTYkmX-pPfUBrUm1v1sM~RlqVGxKHahnXzNvqcmmJD4BowQuyzJIqPgwkvre0AYepmdbmNvv-dE0J6-1nZeWaPODQLVI~RPgzUO~jrFaxSLCkWwkMUgYsG~5oxvF8iqsMQFFqVQSfb5bKdWtoapsCwFcw0ufGZ0Jh72UsjUfhECi5-iz47ufBm0rGsGPmJGkYrlrlbxfL-AacD7f1g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tracy Wood, administrator of the Wastewater Engineering Bureau at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, told the Legislative Study Commission on June 13 that PFAS contamination is widespread in wastewater inputs and that DES is developing a screening standard for PFAS in sludge and biosolids while expanding monitoring under NPDES permits.

Wood said EPA’s January 14, 2025, draft biosolids risk assessment found PFAS risks associated with land application, incineration and landfilling but is non‑regulatory and focused on a narrow farm-family scenario. “Wastewater treatment facilities do not intentionally use or add PFAS. They receive it,” Wood said. She told commissioners DES has focused on source identification and reduction while building a technical basis for a screening value to protect human health and the environment.

The bureau has required PFAS monitoring under its Sludge Quality Certificate (SQC) program since spring 2019 and performed influent/effluent sampling beginning in 2017. DES contracted the U.S. Geological Survey to complete a soil-and-sludge PFAS leaching study (completed in 2023) and has hired a contractor to build a PFAS sludge leaching model and recommend a screening standard that would be incorporated into rules (Env‑Wq 800) after public rulemaking.

Wood said DES contracted VerDantas (reported by DES) for the PFAS sludge model; the contract is about $300,000 with roughly a one‑year duration and an expected final report in June 2026. DES has engaged Arcadis for an independent technical peer review of the contractor’s work.

Because the current Env‑Wq 800 rules expire Jan. 1, 2026, Wood said the modeling and screening work will not be completed in time to be adopted with this round of housekeeping rule changes; DES plans a subsequent rulemaking to add the screening value once the modeling is complete.

On permitting and monitoring, Wood said EPA Region 1 is the permitting authority for point‑source discharges to surface waters and that PFAS monitoring requirements have been added to NPDES permits since a 2021 general permit for small wastewater facilities. DES is requiring influent and effluent monitoring twice a year and varying sludge sampling frequencies depending on facility type; certain industrial users must sample at least annually. Wood said EPA’s final multi‑lab validated test methods were incorporated into Region 1 guidance and that DES began receiving the first set of monitoring results on Jan. 15, 2025.

Wood described how DES is using the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) “emerging contaminants” set‑aside under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to fund pilot or planning projects focused on PFAS removal, leachate management and regional solutions. DES reported $935,000 available in 2022 and an annual emerging‑contaminants allotment of $2,125,000 for fiscal years 2023–2026 (subject to federal appropriation). Example projects advancing toward pilots include North Conway Water Precinct (sludge/leachate interchange), Lebanon (leachate source work and treatment pilots), Nashua (4 Hills landfill leachate pilot), Winnipesaukee River Basin Program (centrate/centrate concentration and destruction evaluation), Portsmouth (sludge minimization and PFAS destruction pilot), and a Copley Landfill Group pilot for surface/groundwater treatment.

Wood said DES is prioritizing projects that could “break the cycle” where landfill leachate increases PFAS at a wastewater plant whose sludge then returns to landfills or elsewhere. She also raised operational questions about staffing, operator training and air‑permitting requirements for certain destruction technologies and said DES is coordinating with its Air Resources division on pilot‑scale tests.

On septage, Wood said many pumped septic solids are already sent to wastewater treatment plants but that DES found some small, informal “septage facilities” operated with inadequate controls. DES shortened permit terms from 10 to five years on readoption, now requires a closure plan within one year of permit issuance or renewal, and is working to close noncompliant septage facilities so pumped septage is routed to wastewater treatment plants for proper handling.

Wood reported ongoing consumer‑product testing (about 50 products screened) that found PFAS in a range of items, including some shampoos; she said manufacturers or suppliers do not always disclose PFAS presence. “We are not going to test or treat our way out of this. We need to stop this from getting into our systems,” she told commissioners, reiterating DES’s emphasis on source‑control and industry engagement when monitoring identifies contributors.

Commission members asked about replicability of pilot technologies across tertiary and secondary plants, training needs, and opportunities to coordinate pilot work statewide. Wood said New Hampshire has relatively few tertiary plants and many individual permits are tailored to receiving waters and dilution factors, which affects the suitability and transferability of specific treatment steps.

DES plans to incorporate the modeling‑based screening standard into Env‑Wq 800 through rulemaking after the contractor’s final report in mid‑2026 and will continue to require PFAS monitoring in NPDES permits; the agency also intends to use IIJA SRF emerging‑contaminants funds to support demonstration projects that aim to reduce PFAS loads to wastewater systems.

DES materials and the SQC annual report, which summarize monitoring results, are publicly available; Wood said the agency will continue outreach and operator training as it implements monitoring and works toward a biosolids screening standard.

","At a June 13 Legislative Study Commission meeting, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services officials outlined steps to monitor PFAS in wastewater, develop a biosolids screening standard, use IIJA Clean Water SRF emerging-contaminants funds for pilot projects, and phase out poorly controlled septage facilities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DHHS updates pilot design for Merrimack cancer feasibility study; adds blood and toenail sampling

DES: Saint‑Gobain demolition nearly complete; bottled water, POET installs and water‑main work continue

NH DES details PFAS monitoring, biosolids screening plan and funding for pilot projects