LEBANON — The most recent round of water quality testing at the Lebanon landfill continued to detect levels of so-called “forever chemicals” that have been linked to certain cancers, childhood developmental problems and other health effects.

Because they don’t break down in the environment, the man-made chemicals known as PFAS — or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — can be found in almost every landfill, environmental scientists say.

The thousands of chemicals, which were developed starting in the 1960s, are contained in household items like tape and stain-resistant furniture. They’re also used in pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, fast-food wrappers and countless other consumer products.

Lebanon hired Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc., of Raynham, Mass., to conduct a PFAS management study that looked at both the city’s landfill and wastewater treatment plant.

The city has drilled several test wells at the landfill. Water in the form of leachate is sent through the city’s sewer system to the wastewater treatment plant. Testing of the leachate shows levels of four PFAS compounds, Civil & Environmental Consultants reported.

The firm is scheduled to present the findings of its study at the City Council meeting on Wednesday.

“The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the problem and begin to explore options to address PFAS on either the landfill site and/or the wastewater treatment facility,” Civil & Environment Consultants wrote in an information packet it provided the city ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.

The state regulars four compounds in drinking water only, the consulting firm wrote. “There are no (state) regulatory standards for PFAS in wastewater effluent, surface water, soil, or sludge,” and the federal Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t regulate PFAS compounds at this time, it added.

PFAS research is constantly updated, leaving regulators — and then the regulated — in a scramble to keep up. In 2019, Lebanon had to respond to proposed changes in New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services regulations aimed at reducing PFAS levels in drinking water.

“We know eventually there are going to be regulations, and we’re trying to get ahead of that,” Lebanon City Manager Shaun Mulholland said.

Last month, the New Hampshire House passed a bill (HB 1547) that is part of an effort to address potentially hazardous PFAS levels in everything from drinking water to food packaging.

The bill directs NHDES to set regulations by November 2023 designed to limit the presence of PFAS in soil, which can house high levels of the compounds and pose a risk to groundwater.

“The bill tries to acknowledge that the PFAS problem is unique and the complications of regulating at such low levels are many,” said Mark Wimsatt, NHDES waste management director. “We need to have specific rules to set it apart from other contaminants that we regulate.”

Lebanon conducted its study of the landfill and wastewater treatment plan so it could be in a better position to respond to state and federal changes in PFAS standards, Mulholland said.

It’s important, however, that state and federal governments enact laws to end the use of the toxic chemicals in manufacturing, said Marc Morgan, the city’s solid waste manager. “They’re regulating it at the end of the line,” Morgan said, stressing that landfill operators are having to manage a problem that literally got dumped on them.

“Shutting off the faucet would be the better way to go,” he said.

The City Council meeting on Wednesday will be an opportunity for people to see how items they use in their daily lives from dental floss to nonstick cooking pans contribute to the PFAS problem.

“We nee d to make different decisions about how we’re cooking our scrambled eggs in the morning,” Morgan said.

The council’s meeting at City Hall on Wednesday starts at 6 p.m. Digital participation is also an option at this link: https://tinyurl.com/379vd5v4.

Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at fmize@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.

THETFORD — In a drive to meet their individual climate and energy goals, seven Upper Valley towns have found power in coordination.The “energy...

PROCTOR, Vt. — Weeks after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Holden family just wanted a new...

CONCORD — After Renee Johnson received a housing voucher, she thought it would make finding an apartment easier.She waited three years for a...

Many Vermonters have already felt the impact of climate change, and with some of the state’s most iconic industries — including snow sports and...