Lebanon, New Hampshire, encompassing ZIP code 03766, currently holds a critical environmental hazard designation due to its proximity to active remediation areas. The primary concern is the Mahan Street Site, an active Environmental Protection Agency Superfund location situated just 0.82 miles from the local community center. A second active location, the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, also operates within a ten-mile radius of the designated zone. The EPA explicitly identifies the primary contaminants at the Mahan Street Site as unspecified hazardous substances. Exposure to undocumented industrial and chemical waste mixtures poses severe health risks to residents, potentially causing respiratory distress, neurological impairment, or long-term systemic illnesses depending on the precise chemical composition and local exposure pathways.

Because the Mahan Street Site maintains an active federal regulatory status, environmental investigators are currently conducting direct site assessments and cleanup operations to mitigate further ecological dispersion. Soil and groundwater contamination remain the most probable vectors for direct residential exposure during this ongoing remediation phase. To protect their households, residents should immediately install certified high-efficiency particulate air filters in their home ventilation systems to capture potential airborne particulate matter. Furthermore, residents relying on private local wells must schedule independent water testing through a state-certified laboratory to screen for heavy metals and volatile organic compounds. Finally, households should strictly avoid utilizing untreated local soil for vegetable gardening or residential landscaping to prevent dermal contact or accidental ingestion of hazardous substances until the EPA officially concludes all ongoing site remediation efforts.