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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8f4d0000NHPR’s ongoing coverage of water contamination at the former Pease Air Force Base and in the communities surrounding the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in Merrimack. We’ll keep you updated on day to day developments, and ask bigger questions, such as:What do scientists know about the health effects of perfluorochemicals like PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS?How are policy makers in New Hampshire responding to these water contaminants?How are scientists and policymakers communicating potential risks?How are other states responding to similar contaminations?

Fish & Game Warns Anglers Not to Eat Fish from a Rye River Near Superfund Site

Jason Moon for NHPR

The state Fish & Game Department is warning anglers not to eat the fish from a river on the Seacoast. As NHPR's Jason Moon reports, they're citing concerns about chemical contamination.

Each year, Fish & Game stocks Berry's Brook in Rye with several thousand brown trout.

The river begins in Greenland near the Coakley Landfill. That's a superfund site known to have high levels of perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, which are suspected carcinogens.

Recent tests have found those same chemicals in Berry’s Brook near the landfill.

An EPA study is underway to determine if there’s any health risk associated with eating fish from the river.

In the meantime, Doug Grout with Fish & Game says they are telling people to throw back their catch as a precaution.

“You can still fish there, you just need to release all fish. And once the testing of the fish comes back, then we’ll make some of the evaluations as to whether we continue to stock there or not.”

Grout says he expects the EPA study on the fish to be completed sometime this year.

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
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