New Hampshire
Fact-check: Sununu claims cyanobacteria are ‘not toxic’ • New Hampshire Bulletin
While bloom notices piled up ahead of Labor Day weekend, Gov. Chris Sununu claimed at an Executive Council meeting held in Wakefield last week that cyanobacteria are “not toxic.” But scientists have found that cyanobacteria, especially blooms, frequently produce toxins.
“This is not toxic. This does not kill people,” Sununu said to Robert Scott, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Services. “Right? That’s not what this issue is. I think some dogs, I think they’ve been warned that … dogs shouldn’t eat it or something like that if they’re in the water.”
“Please make sure that people understand this is not some deadly bacterial bloom that should shut down beaches or anything like that,” Sununu told the commissioner. He said cyanobacteria was “a yucky, slimy thing” but that the department’s messaging on the issue was “terrible.”
On Sununu’s claim that cyanobacteria aren’t toxic: “That’s wrong,” said Jessica Volan Trout-Haney, an aquatic ecologist at Dartmouth who studies cyanotoxins. “… There are, you know, occasionally species that don’t produce toxins, but almost every time we measure for cyanotoxins in bloom conditions, they are present. So if there are cyanobacteria there, they’re almost always producing toxins. It’s very consistent.”
Cyanotoxins, of which there are different kinds, can cause rashes, fevers, headaches, mouth blisters, vomiting, acute liver damage, and more, according to DES, and “long-term exposure can harm the liver and central nervous system.” They can also kill pets.
Trout-Haney said that “almost every strain or species of cyanobacteria produces cyanotoxins.” The level of those toxins varies, she said, and cyanobacteria produce more toxins when blooming. These toxins cannot be detected by the eye; there must be testing to know if they’re present.
On its Healthy Swimming Mapper, where it tracks cyanobacteria blooms and fecal bacteria, DES “advises lake users to avoid contact with the water in the vicinity of areas experiencing blooms” and keep pets and livestock out of the water. Sununu’s frustration with DES was voiced in a conversation about a bloom on Lake Winnipesaukee, as first reported by InDepthNH.org.
“When the state is putting out these alerts, that is because there’s bloom conditions; it’s above a certain threshold that’s deemed safe,” Trout-Haney said. “And that’s based on the studies that we’ve conducted that look at cyanotoxin production with growth. So when there’s a bloom, that means there’s a lot of growth, and that means there’s more toxins, and they’re also generally producing more than one type of toxin.”
While cyanobacteria play an important role in ecosystems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “excessive growth of cyanobacteria can lead to ‘blooms’ that can cause ecological and human health concerns.”
“Some cyanobacteria are able to produce highly potent toxins, known as cyanotoxins, that can lead to a variety of health problems for both human and aquatic species,” the agency said, pointing to examples such as “abdominal, neurological, and skin issues.”
There is still much to learn about the impact of cyanobacteria on human health, said Kathryn L. Cottingham, a Dartmouth professor and researcher.
What we do know, she said: “We know that some cyanobacteria produce toxins, that some of those toxins accumulate in our livers and cause cancers, that some of those toxins are neurotoxins that can impact our brains, and that it’s really hard to know just looking at something what’s happening with the toxins.”
How to stay safe
Some activities pose more risks than others. Direct contact with the bloom and ingesting that water, such as through swimming, are the main things to avoid, Trout-Haney said.
“I take the precautionary principle,” Cottingham said. “If I see a bloom, I want to stay out of it. I want to keep my dog out of it.”
“Every year, there are pets that do die from ingesting cyanobacteria toxins,” Trout-Haney said. Pets can drink the water while swimming in a bloom or lick harmful toxins off of themselves when they come out of the water, she said.
People with compromised immune systems, children, and older people are more at risk, she said.
Shallow areas of the water tend to be less safe, Trout-Haney said, because it’s warmer and there’s less mixing. Cyanobacteria thrive in warm, sunny, nutrient-rich environments. Often, there are blooms on the shore of the lake, but the middle of the water body is clear, she said.
“If you’re driving your boat through a bloom, that’s probably fine,” Trout-Haney said, but “it’s probably wise to minimize your time right in that bloom area, and go to an area that is less bloom heavy.”
As for other activities, “if you are spending a lot of time right next to a bloom, there’s a possibility that you’re inhaling cells. We measure cells coming out of the water and into the air pretty regularly,” she said. “But how much of an impact that actually has on your long term health? You know, that’s where … there’s a lot still unknown.”
And for anglers, “the safest thing to do is if you’re in a big bloom area … (is) move outside of that area to collect fish that you’re going to consume,” Trout-Haney said.
Sara Doherty
Franklin, NH – Sara Jane (Sanford) Doherty, 79, of Franklin, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully at her home on June 11, 2026. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Sara was born on June 5, 1947, in Hanover, New Hampshire, to Harold and Sadie (Pettengill) Sanford.
As the daughter of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee, Sara spent her childhood moving throughout New England, living in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She graduated from high school in Hudson, Massachusetts, and later returned to New Hampshire, eventually settling in Franklin, where she made her home for more than forty years.
Sara built a successful career in the textile industry. She worked as a seamstress at Howland Originals before joining Star Specialty Knitting, where she began as a stitcher and, through hard work and determination, advanced to Plant Manager. She retired in 2003, and one of the greatest joys of her retirement was caring for several of her grandchildren, whom she adored.
Sara was a remarkably talented and creative artisan. She sewed clothing for her children when they were young and later created outfits for her grandchildren and their dolls. She was a gifted painter and artist whose extraordinary drawings and paintings brought joy to those around her. An accomplished seamstress, knitter, crocheter, cake decorator, and musician, Sara had an exceptional ability to create beauty in many forms. Her handmade gifts and treasured creations will be cherished by her family for generations to come.
Her talent for cake decorating blossomed into a successful side business that spanned more than thirty years. Sara created hundreds of stunning and imaginative cakes, including wedding and birthday cakes for her own children and grandchildren. Her passion for baking was so well known that for many years her license plate proudly read “CAKES+.”
Sara also had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. She hosted countless family reunions, each one more creative than the last. With elaborate themes, games, prizes, delicious food, and endless laughter, she created memories that her family will treasure forever. She was also known for her generous holiday gatherings, often welcoming more than thirty family members and friends into her home for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Summers brought cherished Fourth of July cookouts by Webster Lake, where Sara delighted in decorating the waterfront and gathering loved ones to enjoy the annual boat parade.
Sara’s love of giraffes was known by all who knew her. She spent years collecting hundreds of them, giving each a special “G” name. Before her passing, she shared one of her favorites, “Geebri,” with her granddaughter Sydni, who is expecting Sara’s first great-grandchild.
Her warmth, creativity, generosity, and love of family touched everyone who knew her. To say she will be missed is a vast understatement. She was truly the heart of her family.
Sara leaves behind her devoted husband of 43 years, Joel Doherty; her sons, Todd (Michelle) Chapman of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, and Paul (Cheryl) Chapman of Northfield, New Hampshire; her stepdaughters, Ali (Oliver) Frates of Amherst, New Hampshire, and Kate Hodge of Durham, New Hampshire; and her beloved grandchildren, Shelby, Sydni, Morgan, Owen, Duncan, Calum, Macy, and Elyse, and Step-grandchildren, Matthew, Jennifer, Eric, & Kevin.
Sara was predeceased by her parents.
Sara’s family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Franklin VNA for their rapid and seamless response in setting up hospice, and to The Payson Center for their dedication and care, which gave us more precious time with her.
A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM in Franklin Cemetery, Thompson Park in Franklin.
For more information or to leave the family an online condolence, please visit www.smartmemorialhome.com.
Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes
A staple of many New Hampshire town fairs, the pig scramble may soon look a little different.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte last week requires the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture to create best practices for any event in which people compete to capture a pig. Those guidelines will be published before the 2027 fair season, so they won’t be in place for any fairs with pig scrambles this year, such as the upcoming Deerfield Fair in the fall.
Generally, a pig scramble involves people of the same age competing to capture pigs that have been let loose in a large pen. Contestants have to catch the pig in a drawstring bag, and the first one to do so can take the pig home.
Rep. Cathryn Harvey, a Democrat from Spofford, is the prime sponsor of the bill. She said each fair has different rules for their pig scrambles, meaning some can be more humane than others. One aspect of the events she hopes will change is the bags pigs are captured in.
“They’re putting an animal in a plastic bag on a hot summer day,” Harvey said. “It isn’t a great idea.”
Although some fairs already use more breathable bags out of burlap, Joan O’Brien, president of the New Hampshire Animal Rights League, said she’s also seen pigs being kept in plastic bags for long periods of time after the event. Not only would a burlap bag improve the pig’s ability to breathe in the heat, she said, but she also wants fairs to require participants to bring an animal carrier for the trip home. Her organization was ultimately in favor of the legislation.
“If you don’t have a carrier, you should not be allowed to leave your pig lying in a bag,” O’Brien said, adding that some fairs already ask contestants to bring carriers. “You should be taking them right home.”
The Deerfield Fair has implemented another rule that O’Brien and Harvey hope becomes part of statewide best practices — having parents supervise their child in the pen. O’Brien once witnessed a child hang a pig upside down by its legs and then lower it headfirst into the bag.
“In the heat of the moment, the kids get excited and they just do whatever it takes to get the pig in the bag,” O’Brien said. She said parents should work with the event referee to make sure their kid is handling the pig humanely.
Harvey’s bill originally called for pig scrambles to be banned around the state, but both she and O’Brien feel that universal guidelines for fairs would still make the experience better for the animals. Even seemingly small things, Harvey said, like giving the pigs water after the scramble, would be an improvement to the current situation for them.
“I think that the bill will embolden people to speak up at these events,” O’Brien said. “If they think a pig is being mistreated, they’ll be able to say to themselves, ‘I know that there’s supposed to be a rule, so I’m going to say something.’ So I think that would be a good outcome.”
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