While foam can form naturally as a result of rich organic material such as decaying leaves, it can also be the result of contaminants like PFAS – but you can’t necessarily tell what caused the foam just by looking at it, according to Mouser.
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“When community members live in these areas they know are impacted by potential sources of contaminants, they can get concerned about seeing things like that,” said Mouser.
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The area Mouser and the citizen scientists studied was near two Superfund Sites in the Seacoast where PFAS have been found, including the former Pease Airforce Base, now the Pease Tradeport, where firefighting foam containing the chemical had been sprayed, and the Coakley Landfill.
PFAS are a man-made class of chemicals common in many consumer products from stain-resistant couches and fabrics to non-stick cooking pans and water-proof jackets.
But too much exposure to PFAS can lead to some health problems for humans, such as increased risk for some kinds of cancer, decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women, and developmental effects or delays in children, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Research is ongoing to figure out how different levels of exposure impact health.
That backdrop led to local concern about the foam.
“We’re seeing these foam accumulations in the local waterways where people recreate, and we wanted to know: Is PFAS accumulating in it?” said Andrea Amico, a Portsmouth resident, who has been advocating on PFAS issues since 2014. “If so, the community should be aware of that. And people should take steps to prevent coming into contact with the foam.”
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The New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services provides similar advice, recommending people avoid contact with any surface water foam since foam can contain a much higher level of PFAS than the surrounding water. According to the department, health risks of exposure vary based on how much foam a person is exposed to, how long the exposure lasts, and how frequently it occurs.
A researcher collects a sample of foam to test for the presence of PFAS along a waterway in New Hampshire.University of New Hampshire
The department recommends keeping children and pets away from the foam, since swallowing it can increase the risk for negative health impacts.
There are currently no federal or state standards or screening levels for surface water foams with PFAS, and there are no standard testing methods for the foams, according to the department, which is not currently testing foams for PFAS.
Amico credits a personal exposure for sparking her advocacy and citizen science around PFAS. She said her family was exposed to the substance when her husband worked for a company located at the Pease Tradeport and her children attended daycare there.
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“Prior to knowing there was PFAS in the water, my kids drank water there everyday,” she said. Along with two other moms, she went on to push for blood testing to determine how much PFAS was in their blood, in addition to testing for health effects to the community, results that are still pending.
She said it was on a nature walk during the COVID pandemic in 2020 that she remembers first seeing foam accumulating along waterways.
She pushed for testing of the foam she was seeing around the Seacoast, especially since four other states have found foam containing PFAS, including Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Minnesota.
Last July, she began working with Mouser on the research.
“It was validating to have the sample done and to know for sure that PFAS is detected in the foam of our local waterways,” Amico said.
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But there are still many unanswered questions. Mouser said she’s working on a proposal for a broader study including other areas where the foaming occurs, how it happens, and where the contaminants go after the foam dissipates back into the water.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
Ed. Note: If this was you and you are interested, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP.
“Dear PoPville,
I was biking home from a doctor appointment a little before noon on Friday, and stopped at a red light on New Hampshire & L st nw. There was a woman across the street who was looking fine in her dark blue (I think they were) scrubs. I might be crazy, but it felt like we kept checking each other out. By the third time,
if we were in a romcom, one of us would have waved. Sorry I didn’t, but if you are reading this and date men, reach out to the Prince if you are interested in that man on the bike. Have a great weekend!”
Ed. Note: If this is you, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. PoPville is not affiliated with either party, please proceed with any potential connection at your own risk using caution as you would any online encounter. For those curious about past missed connections, many have been made and when possible I’ll try to update when/if more are made.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
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The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
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In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
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In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
