Last week, Gov. Sununu signed into law a bill designed to protect people when they are looking to buy property in New Hampshire. The legislation is House Bill 398 and is meant to alert people about potential contaminants such as arsenic, radon and PFAS in the property they are thinking of purchasing.
The notice will state that PFAS “have been detected at levels that exceed federal and/or state advisories or standards in wells throughout New Hampshire. Testing of the water by an accredited laboratory can measure PFAS levels and inform a buyer’s decision regarding the need to install water treatment systems.”
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals frequently used in consumer and industrial products. They have been connected to dangerous health concerns such as decreased fertility, developmental issues in children, high cholesterol, increased blood pressure in pregnant women, kidney, prostate and testicular cancers and weakened immune systems. PFAS contaminants have been found throughout the state but more so in southern NH, where it had been discovered hundreds of private wells were contaminated by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, based in Merrimack. The manufacturer has since closed down.
The prime sponsors of the bill were Reps. Wendy Thomas, (D-Merrimack) and Nancy Murphy, (D – Merrimack).
The bill goes into effect next year.