Even on a cold winter day, the vibrant murals across Manchester stand out against the red brick buildings that define much of the city’s architecture. It’s not a mere coincidence. These murals represent the spirit of Manchester – its resilience, its diversity, its vibrancy. They reflect the neighbors, families, and friends who call this place home – people like Anthony Poore, a Manchester resident for nearly 30 years, and president and CEO of the New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity. Poore, who’s also a kidney cancer survivor, wants his community to live healthy lives, and he’s committed to this mission.
I want [my neighbors] to be healthy,” Poore says. “I want young people not to suffer from the things that I had to go through.”
Last year, Poore appeared before Manchester’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen at City Hall. There, he presented a simple but urgent proposal: Amend the city’s wastewater ordinance to protect residents from toxic PFAS pollution from industries upstream. Accompanied by a petition with nearly 200 signatures from community members, the proposal carried the weight of residents ready to act in the face of an invisible threat.
And that invisible threat feels very real to Manchester residents living near industrial facilities and the local wastewater treatment plant. PFAS chemicals coming from industrial sources make their way into wastewater reaching the city’s wastewater treatment plant, but – like many of its kind – this plant lacks the technology to remove them. That means some of those toxic chemicals end up in the Merrimack River where the plant discharges its “treated” wastewater. Others get burned with sewage sludge at the plant’s incinerator, which releases the toxins into the air. The result: PFAS pollution moves through the community’s water, soil, and air – all with little notice.
An Insidious Hazard to Community Health
The consequences of that pollution don’t always appear right away. But over time, exposure can add up. Scientists have linked PFAS to a range of human health issues, including thyroid disease, reproductive problems, immune system suppression, and certain cancers.
One of the strongest known links is kidney cancer. For Poore, this concern wasn’t abstract. Despite the lack of warning signs, in 2022, Poore received a kidney cancer diagnosis. He didn’t fit the typical profile. And so, he began to ask questions. “Why me? Why now? I don’t smoke. I don’t have hypertension. And yet I had a large tumor on my kidney.”
This diagnosis led him to learn more about PFAS. He discovered their links to cancer and their persistence in water, air, and soil. And he was shocked to learn how common they are: an estimated 45% of U.S. tap water contains at least one or two types of PFAS, a stat that he found particularly concerning.
“Our neighbors in Merrimack have the highest rates of kidney cancer in the state – 38% higher than the rest of the state,” says Poore. “That’s downstream from Manchester. And it made me wonder: what role do PFAS play in our community’s health?”
What Are PFAS?
To understand the stakes, we first have to understand PFAS – a group of nearly 15,000 toxic man-made chemicals that have been widely used since the 1940s. You’ll find them in everyday consumer products: nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothing, food packaging, stain-resistant furniture, dental floss, cosmetics, and even the foams used in firefighting. What makes PFAS especially dangerous is that they are incredibly persistent – they don’t easily break down in the environment or the human body.
“That’s the reason we call them forever chemicals,” says Arnold Mikolo, CLF’s Manchester Environmental Justice Advocate and current President of Manchester’s NAACP chapter. “Once they enter our water systems, they stick around. They build up in our bodies and in the environment, causing long-term harm. That’s why there’s an urgent need for action.”
A Simple Solution with Powerful Potential
Poore, alongside a coalition of community members and CLF, is pushing the city to take action. The proposed ordinance presented to the Board of Aldermen is one critical step. If adopted, it would update Manchester’s wastewater rules to require industrial users to monitor their PFAS levels and reduce these levels in their wastewater before it enters the city’s system. By shifting responsibility upstream, this change aims to stop toxic chemicals before they travel through pipes, into waterways, or into the air residents breathe.
“The proposed ordinance is about prevention,” says Jillian Aicher, a staff attorney at CLF. “It holds industrial users accountable for reducing PFAS harms to the community.”
Importantly, she adds, “This is a ‘polluter pays’ approach. Industrial users – not the city or the community – would pay the cost of reducing or treating PFAS. It’s a no-brainer.”
The Health Costs of Inaction
While the proposed change to the ordinance might cost the city little to nothing financially, failing to act carries a steep price – especially for public health. Because PFAS are so persistent, they accumulate over time – and can have long-term impacts. This is especially true for organs like the kidneys. Because kidneys filter our blood, they’re more vulnerable to chemicals like PFAS, which build up in our bodies over time and are hard to flush out.
Aicher emphasizes: “The point is that PFAS are harmful, and their health impacts are real. No one should have to wonder whether their water or air quality is safe enough for them and their families.”
Taking the Fight Upstream and Downstream, Too
Manchester’s local ordinance is just one piece of a much broader campaign. CLF isn’t new to this fight. For years, the organization has led the charge against PFAS pollution across New England – in courtrooms, at statehouses, and alongside impacted communities.
At the local level, the proposed change to the ordinance focuses on what flows into the city’s wastewater system, requiring industrial facilities to monitor and treat water contaminated with PFAS chemicals before it ever reaches the treatment plant.
At the same time, CLF is challenging a state-approved permit for the city’s wastewater facility that allows it to discharge PFAS into the Merrimack River. CLF argues the permit violates clean water laws meant to protect aquatic life and public health.
“We believe that everyone deserves safe, clean water,” says Aicher. “And we know that the tools to protect it already exist. Now, we’re pushing regulators to use them.”
Alex St. Pierre, CLF’s vice president for Environmental Justice, underscores this holistic strategy: “This is what makes our work special. We’re not only tackling PFAS on one front – we’re going after them in every system they touch. And we’re doing it in deep partnership with communities like Manchester.”
Beyond city limits, CLF has successfully advocated for New Hampshire laws banning a broad range of products containing intentionally-added PFAS – including ski and boat wax products that release the chemicals into snowmelt and waterways. Across New England, CLF is working with communities to expose PFAS pollution, challenge weak pollution permits, and push for stronger protections – from cleaner drinking water standards to bans on PFAS–laden products. At the federal level, we are urging the EPA to set stricter regulations for PFAS in our drinking water to protect communities and ecosystems from potential risks. The message is consistent across state lines: No community should bear the health costs of toxic chemicals it didn’t choose. choose.
The Spirit of Manchester
And in Manchester, that community spirit is alive and well. Poore sees it in the families who shop at corner stores, the children walking to school, the small businesses that feed our neighborhoods. “I love this city,” he says. “I love the people who make it what it is. I live, work, play, and pray here. And I want to protect it.”
He speaks of the city’s immigrant communities, its diversity, and its shared determination to build a better future. To him, the PFAS ordinance is just one part of a bigger promise. “I want young people here to grow up healthy. I want them to thrive, to breathe clean air, to drink clean water. To never have to go through what I went through.”
Manchester’s murals may fade over time. But the spirit they reflect – resilient, vibrant, united – remains strong. And so does the fight to protect it.
New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity: Fighting for Justice, One System at a Time
The New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity (NHCJE) isn’t just focused on a single issue – it’s working to reimagine the systems that shape people’s daily lives. Whether tackling disparities in health, housing, education, or environmental safety, NHCJE’s work is grounded in one mission: to ensure every person in New Hampshire has the chance to thrive.
That’s why PFAS pollution matters. For NHCJE, these toxic “forever chemicals” are not just a threat to water and air – they’re a symptom of deeper, systemic inequities.
“Our job is to connect the dots,” adds Anthony Poore. “If your water isn’t clean, your health isn’t safe. If your health isn’t safe, your future is in jeopardy. Environmental justice is health justice, and it’s economic justice, too.”
By collaborating with groups like CLF, NHCJE brings community voices to the table – voices often left out of policy decisions. Together, we’re making sure change starts at the root.
“PFAS is just one piece of the larger puzzle,” says CLF’s Arnold Mikolo. “But when you fix one piece, you start to shift the whole picture – toward justice, toward equity, and toward communities that can truly thrive.”
