High kidney/renal cancer rates found in Merrimack
Dec. 10—CONCORD — Merrimack had 42% more cases of kidney and renal cancer over a decade than expected, though it hasn't been determined whether they were linked to so-called "forever chemical" contamination from the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in town, state officials said.
Public Health Director Patricia Tilley told a legislative commission the state needs to do much more research to determine the age, gender and timing of these cancer cases before it can determine whether the matter warrants a full-blown cancer case study.
"While this preliminary data does not necessarily indicate the presence of a cancer cluster, any data that points to the possibility of increased illness in our communities warrants closer examination," Tilley said.
"We will be seeking input from individuals affected by these cancers, community leaders and members of the commission on the environmental and public health impacts of perfluorinated chemicals as we continue with our investigation. We are committed to working with the residents of Merrimack and other local and state agencies and officials as we learn more."
The New Hampshire Cancer Registry reported on all major cancer statistics for residents of Merrimack from 2009-2018.
Over that period, the town had 66 cases of renal and kidney cancer. The average for towns that size would be 46.5 cases, officials said.
The report includes a confidence benchmark, which measures the significance of these numbers. Any level over 1 is considered significant.
The confidence range for the kidney and renal cancers in Merrimack was 1.1 to 1.8, according to the report.
This study was a follow up to a 2018 cancer incidence report on Merrimack after per- and polyfluoroalkyl or PFOA substances were found in drinking wells in the town, Bedford and in other communities.
The next step involves getting more information about these cases from the community. Tilley said a meeting on the topic locally will be announced in the coming weeks.
Questions on other cancers
Mindi Messmer of Rye, an environmental consultant and former state legislator, worked with lawmakers from the affected towns to create this commission, which in 2019 started to look into the health effects of PFOA contamination.
"After several years of prodding from community members and advocates on the HB 737 commission, today's presentation is a step, albeit small step, in the right direction, and we appreciate the agency's response," Messmer said.
During the meeting, however, Messmer and other members questioned whether it underestimated the risk posed to Merrimack and other southern New Hampshire residents for prostate, bladder and other cancers.
"We hope that in the coming months, the state will work diligently to adequately respond to continued requests from all communities exposed to contaminated air and drinking water caused by Saint-Gobain and other PFAS industrial emissions," Messmer said.
For example, the same study reported 207 cases of prostate cancer or 12% more than had been expected, and the confidence level for that number was .97, just below the significant level of 1.
Likewise, there were 91 cases of urinary bladder cancer, 22% more than expected, and the confidence benchmark was .98.
"The study looks at Merrimack and compares it to the state as a whole. The problem with that is our state includes many other towns with PFOA contamination — Newington, Portsmouth, Bedford, Litchfield, Londonderry," Messmer said.
"So the state's base number of cancers you are comparing it to could be larger than an entirely clean state."
This report is the first of what would be four phases in a complete cancer case study, Tilley told the commission.
"We are probably looking at a cancer case study being years away, and that's frustrating to the residents of these towns who have been pushing so long for action," Messmer said.
