Bianca Sanchez, bianca.sanchez@sierraclub.org
MERRIMACK, NH. – Today, Saint Gobain announced it will close its Performance Plastics plant in Merrimack. The move is welcome news for local residents who have ingested high levels of dangerous per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds, or PFAS for decades. Saint Gobain applies PFAS to textiles, to make technical fabrics and other gear.
Earlier in August, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services approved an updated air emissions permit for the plant over the objections of many local residents. The permit would have allowed the facility to expand production, and legally emit up to a pound a year of four highly toxic PFAS chemicals into local air. Along with local residents, Sierra Club New Hampshire raised concerns that the state placed no limits on emissions of newer- generation PFAS which are now the basis of production. The state permit also allowed Saint Gobain to use a bypass for its air pollution control equipment up to 175 hours per year.
The Merrimack facility has used PFAS chemicals since 1986, first under the ownership of Chemfab, with Saint Gobain purchasing the site in 2002. The plants spread PFAS chemicals into the surrounding community through its smokestacks, discharges into the Merrimack River, and wastes washed into the local wastewater system. The pollution was first revealed to the public in 2016, when two local drinking water wells were found to have high levels of several PFAS chemicals.
In response to the announcement, Laurene Allen, co-founder of Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water and longtime area resident, released the following statement:
“The people of Merrimack persisted and today we are celebrating the closure of a polluter that has contaminated our environment and bodies with toxic PFAS for more than 20 years. While this is a powerful day for thousands of residents in not only our community but a vast surrounding area, I am struck by the immensity of PFAS contamination in our environment. The air, waterways, aquifers, and soil will never be free from the impacts of Saint Gobain’s pollution. Federal and state regulators needed to ensure this does not happen to other communities. While I am so relieved to hear of this closure, I am pausing to acknowledge we will nonetheless bear the burden of the impacts of PFAS exposure and contamination for the rest of our lives. “
Sierra Club New Hampshire Senior Regional Organizing Representative Catherine Corkery also said:
“What a relief! The closure of the Performance Plastics plant at Merrimack marks a step towards eliminating the hazardous exposure of PFAS chemicals in New Hampshire. We can't protect the public from toxic “Forever Chemicals” while still allowing their release from Saint Gobain and other sources. The people of Merrimack, and the many others, kept their eye on the prize and Saint Gobain couldn’t take the heat. This is one small spectacular victory with many more needed to ensure clean air and water across New Hampshire.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.