First, we won. Then, they sued. Then, we won again.

Over a year ago, we wrote to you celebrating that everyday people in New Hampshire had won some of the strongest protections in the nation from the toxic ‘forever’ chemicals known as PFAS.

Less than three months later, the same day the protections were about to go into effect, the state was hit with a lawsuit that put everything on hold.

That lawsuit was brought in part by 3M, a major polluter when it comes to PFAS.

But community leaders across New Hampshire didn’t give up, and their hard work paid off.

This month, we can finally celebrate a victory for clean drinking water in New Hampshire: the Superior Court dissolved the injunction and the state’s drinking water protections will now become reality.

PFAS chemicals are toxic, and they’re everywhere. PFAS cause cancers, kidney disease, and more. You can find PFAS in Teflon pans, high-end firefighting foam, and many nonstick, stain-proof or water-resistant products.

Because they’re so pervasive, PFAS have polluted drinking water across the country—more than 110 million people are estimated to have PFAS-contaminated water just in the U.S.

Everyday people from Portsmouth to Merrimack and beyond learned that their water, their kids, and their families had been poisoned by unknowingly drinking contaminated water. And they decided they need to do something about it.

So these community leaders spent endless hours researching PFAS. They called Community Action Works, and together we came up with a plan. We knocked on neighbors’ doors to let them know what was going on. We drafted petitions, held community forums, and took action to push the state to protect them from toxic water.

With no enforceable federal regulations on PFAS, we faced an uphill battle. But community leaders never gave up, and you were right there behind them.

And despite a polluters’ lawsuit, the protections we won are finally going into effect.

Your support makes this possible. Thanks for being part of this community.