Saint-Gobain to close New Hampshire plant blamed for PFAS water contamination

abcnews.go.com:

A French company that has been blamed for contaminating drinking water in some New Hampshire communities with a group of chemicals known as PFAS says it plans to close its plant there and will work with the state on an ongoing environmental investigation

MERRIMACK, N.H. — A French company that has been blamed for contaminating drinking water in some New Hampshire communities with a group of chemicals known as PFAS said Wednesday it plans to close its plant there and will work with the state on an ongoing environmental investigation.

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics said in a statement that it will “restructure its composite solutions business in the United States," after evaluating the company's business goals and what “is in line with the company's mission and plan.”

The Paris-based company, which bought the Merrimack plant from ChemFAB in 2000, initially believed it wasn’t discharging anything harmful. But the state said that changed in 2004 after the company installed more sophisticated technology. After the company alerted the state, the state Department of Environmental Services determined Saint-Gobain was exceeding state air limits for PFAS, and the company agreed to significantly reduce emissions.

PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Known as “forever chemicals,” they are widespread, dangerous and expensive to remove from water. They also don't degrade in the environment and are linked to health issues that include low birthweight and kidney cancer.

The state didn’t move to do any groundwater testing until 2016 because there was no indication at the time that the emissions posed a threat to groundwater. That came to light after wells near Saint-Gobain facilities in Hoosick