Bombshell new book reveals company's shocking actions during toxic water scandal: 'One of the most insidious'

After reporting PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," in the water near its Merrimack, New Hampshire, facility in 2016, manufacturing company Saint-Gobain hoped to fulfill its obligations in the public eye by providing clean drinking water for the community.

However, an investigation in a new book says that the company may have known about the problem for much longer, making it complicit in the health problems suffered by residents, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

What's happening?

The book, titled "They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals," is by Mariah Blake and investigates what Saint-Gobain and other companies using perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances knew about these toxic chemicals.

PFAS are known as forever chemicals because of how long they stay in the environment.

"They are probably one of the most insidious pollutants in human history," said Blake in an interview with New Hampshire Public Radio. "As some of your listeners likely know, they stay in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years. Those that have been studied are highly toxic, even at very low doses, and they are literally polluting the entire planet, including the bodies of human beings and ecosystems in the remotest parts of the globe."

Blake explained that PFAS are linked to "cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, life-threatening pregnancy complications, problems with neurological development in children, and the list goes on and on."

So why use them? "They're a large family of chemicals that are extremely useful because they're extremely resistant to heat, stains, water, grease and electrical currents," said Blake. "They stand up to caustic chemicals that burn through just about every other material, and this has made them extremely useful."

But that doesn't excuse releasing them into the air without filtration to settle in the nearby soil and water, as Saint-Gobain reportedly did at its plant in North Bennington, Vermont. When the company began receiving complaints, it should have installed scrubbers; instead, the investigation found it moved the factory to Merrimack, exposing a new community to the toxic problem.

Why are Saint-Gobain's actions important?

The company's choice to expose so many people to PFAS has resulted in a wide range of health complaints among the victims, according to the investigation. New Hampshire Public Radio cited research saying that Merrimack residents have a higher risk of some cancers than the national average. Others exposed to the chemicals have experienced nosebleeds and migraines.

Now, Saint-Gobain is leaving Merrimack, and it's uncertain what cleanup efforts might look like, leaving residents in limbo with a permanently polluted environment.

For its part, Saint-Gobain wouldn't address specific questions as part of Blake's investigation but said in a statement for the book: "Saint-Gobain is, and has always been, committed to acting as a responsible environmental steward in the communities in which we live and operate, which includes complying with regulatory requirements…"

What's being done about PFAS?

Thankfully, legislation is catching up, protecting the public from future exposure to these chemicals.

Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly 😥 Sometimes 😟 Not really 😐 I don't know enough about them 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"So right now, more than 30 states have passed more than 150 laws restricting forever chemicals or PFAS," said Blake. "This includes more than 14 full or partial bans on these chemicals in consumer goods. Manufacturers have been hit with more than 15,000 lawsuits at this point.

"And as a result of the lawsuits and the state-level legislation, as well as a ban that's in the works in the European Union, you have huge swaths of the economy voluntarily moving away from PFAS at this point. So 3M, which is the world's largest manufacturer of these chemicals, is going to phase out its production of them by the end of this year."

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