Commercial household products, including stain- and water-repellent fabrics, nonstick products, and fire-fighting foams. “The science is very strong and the public health consequences are really serious,” he said. The chemicals at the center of the DuPont story are found in DuPont products like Teflon and firefighting foams. In this paradigm, the firms responsible for the potential harm would be required to pay for the research, but the studies would be conducted by scientists without conflicts of interest, under provisions that ensure their complete independence. D ark Waters is the most important American film in a decade, although it squanders an opportunity to fully portray PFAS* contamination as the nationwide human health epidemic it has become. While Republicans have said they broadly agree more needs to be done about PFAS contamination, some members have also attacked Bilott’s use of litigation against DuPont and questioned whether the science is sufficient. As more studies document the wide range of toxic properties of PFAS compounds, manufacturers are rapidly eliminating the chemicals from their products, and lawmakers are eyeing legislation to clean up contaminated water systems. Pinney at the University of Cincinnati characterized the science as “emerging,” but said new findings are showing similar, worrisome trends. The film captures how a courageous attorney working virtually on his own was able to document DuPont’s coverup. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Many manufacturers have stopped using PFOA—but they’ve switched to other chemicals that could be just as bad. Login. Many manufacturers have stopped using PFOA—but they’ve switched to … “Dark Waters” focuses on how the chemical company DuPont manufactured Teflon in a West Virginia town, and in the process fouled the local drinking water with a PFAS … Todd Haynes’s new feature film Dark Waters introduces the public to Bilott by chronicling his ground-breaking legal battle against the DuPont chemical company’s mishandling of PFAS contamination. Until Now. A recent study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggests that safe levels of PFAS chemicals are as low as .1 to 1 parts per trillion. GenX is used at the Dupont facility near Parkersburg in the manufacture of fluoropolymers. However, it is higher than the health standards set by a handful of states for these chemicals, and some researchers believe 70 parts per trillion is not protective of human health. At water systems that use surface water from the Ohio River, the results found a 100 percent detection rate for PFAS compounds. A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. featuring Phil Brown, Consumer Reports: Why Dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Still Allowed in America’s Drinking Water featuring Alissa Cordner, Environmental Health News: Op-ed: PFAS chemicals—the other immune system threat by Phil Brown and colleagues, Study Coordinator for CDC-funded water contamination and health study, 2019 National PFAS Conference at Northeastern University To some extent, this is the model of the Health Effects Institute, a research organization that commissions research into the health effects of air pollution, set up and funded jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and motor vehicle manufacturers. However, PFAS pollution is an issue in the UK . If they did otherwise, they would never be hired again. Photographer: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP via Getty Images. When the first public concerns abound the compound emerged, DuPont did what too many corporations do: They took a page from Big Tobacco’s playbook and hired a firm to sow doubt about the scientific evidence. Manufacturers named as defendants in these lawsuits include 3M Company, Tyco Fire Products, and Chemguard, Inc. It might also make them smarter. 0 Comments, September 23, 2019 — After hiring two product-defense consulting firms, Exponent and Gradient, to dispute the C8 studies, 3M settled a PFAS pollution claim made by the state of Minnesota for $850 million. “And the story, I think people can see for themselves and they can judge for themselves exactly what really happened. To learn more about PFAS, see our recent briefing: Dark Waters’ will be released in selected cinemas in Belgium and France on 26. Bilott won a $670 million settlement with Dupont over its undisclosed contamination of the drinking water of 70,000 residents in West Virginia and Ohio. – Presentations, PFAS in Michigan (courtesy of Michigan Radio), Most people carry remnants of a chemical pollutant ultrasound technology can help clean it up, ‘Dark Waters’ attorney Rob Bilott works on sequel with class action lawsuit over ‘forever chemicals’, Pleasanton Faces Newly Discovered Water Contamination, ‘Dark Waters’ just the tip of the iceberg, Mark Ruffalo And Robert Bilott On The New Film ‘Dark Waters’, Mark Ruffalo’s environmental drama ‘Dark Waters’ gets DC premiere, Dark Waters: A Conversation with Mark Ruffalo, Rob Bilott & Emily Donovan, Mark Ruffalo, Todd Haynes Talk ‘Dark Waters’: ‘Our Environmental Future Is at Stake’, ‘Dark Waters’ Brings Awareness to PFAS Water Contamination Litigation, Trump Threatens to Veto First Ever Congressional Action on ‘Forever Chemicals’, Why Dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Still Allowed in America’s Drinking Water, Op-ed: PFAS chemicals—the other immune system threat, 2019 National PFAS Conference at Northeastern University. His grandmother, who lives in Parkersburg, West Virginia, gives his phone number to local farmer, Earl Tennant. Copyright © 2020 Popular Science. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that PFOA and PFOS ‘are very persistent in the environment and in the human body—meaning they don’t break down and can accumulate over time.’, Scientific studies have indicated that exposure to these chemicals can increase the risk of high cholesterol, low infant birth weights, thyroid hormone disruption, immune system damage, and certain types of cancer…”, Join the mailing list to receive updates in PFAS science, regulation, and activism, How The North Carolina GOP Has Undermined Cleanup Of ‘Forever Chemicals’, PFAS in food: EFSA assesses risks and sets tolerable intake, Study: Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Likely Discharged Near Schools in 18 States, Australian PFAS Chemicals Map (not affiliated with SSEHRI), Consumer Reports: What’s Really in Your Bottled Water? Over the last few years, DuPont and other companies have phased out the manufacture of PFOA and PFOS. But as the PFAS debacle has painfully made clear, the system through which scientific evidence is produced also needs to be cleaned up. Over 100 lawsuits involving firefighting foams have been consolidated in one multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the District of South Carolina, under the guidance of the Honorable Richard M. Gergel.