High levels of contaminants found in Seacoast-area brooks

“The first step is, obviously, knowing the scale of the problem,” said Tom Irwin of the Conservation Law Foundation.

Irwin’s organization said the problem is significant: a March study done on brooks in the Seacoast towns of Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington found high levels of perfluorinated chemicals.

Irwin said these toxins don’t degrade naturally.

“We’ve known about the problem of perfluorinated chemicals at Pease (International Tradeport) in relation to drinking water wells,” Irwin said. “Now we know that perfluorinated chemicals are showing up in our brooks and rivers, flowing into the Great Bay Estuary.”

Irwin said the toxins can harm fish that people eat and have been linked to cancer.

Watch the full segment here.