“Dark Waters”: Meet the Lawyer Whose 20-Year Fight Against DuPont Inspired the New Film

The new film “Dark Waters” tells the story of attorney Rob Bilott’s 20-year battle with DuPont over contaminated drinking water in West Virginia from toxic chemicals used to make Teflon. The Environmental Working Group credited Billot with “uncovering the most heinous corporate environmental conspiracy in history,” and the issue of contaminated water from the plastics industry continues to devastate areas across the country. On Wednesday, the Environmental Working Group released a shocking report about how toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS have been found in the drinking water of dozens of U.S. cities, including major metropolitan areas including Miami, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. The so-called forever chemicals are linked to cancer, high cholesterol and decreased fertility, and they do not break down in the environment. We speak with attorney Robert Bilott, who has just published a new book titled “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont.” He is portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in the Hollywood film “Dark Waters.” We’re also joined by Tim Robbins, Academy Award-winning actor and director, who plays Bilott’s boss at his law firm in “Dark Waters.”
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[@joecaner]

These corporate criminals need to be stripped of their assets and imprisoned for life.

[@TheJakecakes]

Hell yes

[@TheJakecakes]

I'm outside philly it's bad here

[@mahtabshoghi7385]

In today's atmosphier it is almost impossible to hold them responsible! If you kill one person, you will go to jail for life but if they contaminate the water and the air of whole world and kill thousends, they will never go to jail even for one day!!!!!

[@Frank-do1bg]

It's mind-boggling to me that they made a Hollywood movie about these horrible crimes and yet these evil corps are still operating and what they lost in total was less than 1 year of their profit just in teflon. It's a crazy world we live in...

[@traciebecker6669]

I have been asking for over a decade why are so many young people, non smokers etc. getting cancer so frequently? I think this is at least part of the answer, if not the answer.

[@jaybhatt6775]

real-life heroes are actually so humble and don't wear capes or have special powers. pure gold!

[@shannondaye8527]

My father died of renal cancer in 1991 after working at BASF and Dupont both chemical companies in Ontario, Canada. This movie made me both happy and sad. So many lives were unnecessarily lost for greed. I am glad that Billot didn't give up the fight and that the families have been "compensated."

[@SLambert2416]

What part of Ontario was this in?

[@sanders7789]

I don’t know if any amount of compensation the ‘receptors’ or poisoned people receive can make up for sickness and death

[@daiu48]

The film Dark Waters is truly shocking.Chemical company staff and the unions who represent them need to find the courage to stand up and take responsibility - even if the owners and shareholders don’t. The lawyer has set an admirable example.

[@KootFloris]

Close DuPont down. Here, environmental urgency (like in all cases) should take precedence over profits.

[@danerose575]

It's about time a little truth comes to light.

[@royhurst1004]

I saw "Dark Waters". That and "The Report" are the most important Hollywood films of the year by far.

[@blaqknite1445]

When you lose 190 cows and the state or local doesn't come down on you with some type of cruelty charge you know the fix is in.

[@mv2487]

He should be the next President! Thank you for caring about us, the middle class

[@marcelohernandez7603]

I think he cares about humans not classes

[@michelerobinjusko]

Incredible film! I am so inspired by Rob's passion to get justice. This story was heartbreaking. Dupont's behavior was despicable.

[@ricardomurillo5205]

It's amazing that the Johnny Depp case got more notoriety than this health hazard case accross the world. Actually it's not amazing when the game is rigged...

[@misscamilla888]

Is there any way the whole world can sue Dupont?! I want them to pay and go bankrupt!! 😡😡

[@1LaOriental]

DuPont; Monsanto; Exxon; BP; Goldman Sachs; JP Morgan Chase; Merck; Purdue Pharma; JR Reynolds; Cigna; Blue Cross blue shield, etc. Tell me what corporation is left that is not harming the population in some way? We live in a surreal nightmare where corporations are Kings.

[@ahavafarmgarden-familyhome883]

You are absolutely correct 👏 It is SO disturbing.

[@readyorknot2344]

Add pfizer, J&j, Modrna

[@oddjob7821]

A Decent man fighting a goliath, with a capital G

[@carrieyu9668]

Still many people are buying the company's products. Unbelievable.

[@sheepdawwg]

I watched this movie last night , I couldn’t stop watching. It’s crazy

[@kcwizard72]

10 minutes WAS NOT ENOUGH!! KZbin allows for LONGER videos. people!!

[@investandcyclecheap4890]

Should have given this guy more airtime.

[@dennismiller5725]

I drove through Parkersburg WV in 2007 for a class reunion in northern OH where I hadgrown up. I was surprised to see the siaze and location of the Dupont facility then, simply wondering what it manufactured. After seeing Dark Waters which is a truly terrifying story based in reality, I was trooubled. After the films I went to google maps, and their is no loger A Dupont in Parkersburg, Zooming in on the plant site, i did notice that the roads surroundin the site still had Dupont in their names. I've drawn a conclusion because i can not find infomation about Dupont in any normal search. My conclusion is much like that of Purdue Pharma..Management fights till the end then changes their name and moves their money to somewhere else in the world.

[@darkrockcomics6757]

2077? What's the future like bro? How was Cyberpunk 2077 50 years prior?

[@dennismiller5725]

@@darkrockcomics6757 Thanks for the correction,

[@dennismiller5725]

@BLUE DOG So was Henry Ford, what is your point

[@paflyfish]

DuPont spun off to form two companies, DuPont, and Chemours in 2015. There were many lawsuits regarding PFAS related products. Chemours kept many of these products and plants, and also assumed all liability for the related lawsuits. Just an opinion, but it appeared that DuPont spun off to protect the DuPont brand. In 2017 DuPont merged with Dow Chemical. Not long after DowDuPont split into 3 companies; Dow, DuPont, and Corteva, distancing itself from Parkersburg, WV, or plants like Fayetteville, NC. producing GenX, a product much similar to PFAS and apparently causing environmental issues there.

[@WLHS]

I believe they colluded with Monsanto, forgiving each other’s debts and criminal actions and merged right before Monsanto were fined billions. Monsanto then became part of pharmaceutical conglomerate giant including pfeizer all the meanwhile Covid was coming…

[@RGauci]

Great movie about a true hero.

[@james_7718]

People researching a cure for cancer while we kill ourselves. Hilarious.

[@kurtilein3]

Its not really a 1st world problem. In case you have not noticed, the USA moved down in so many important metrics (life expectancy, literacy, childhood mortality, homicide rate) for decades now, it is basically a developing nation. You got Trump into power who destroyed the EPA.

[@DawnLauryn]

​@@kurtilein3 Unfortunately, he took what was already compromised and made things far worse. Our EPA has been compromised a long time and if you do the research yourself, see how few chems are even monitored, well you're at least wise enough to notice we're no longer a developed nation, so I trust you will hear the alarms going off when you look at how bad it actually is. And that's just looking into what is monitored, which doesn't even begin to cover the laws that prohibit citizens from suing should they be poisoned and become disabled & family can't sue if you die. It is almost a full free for all now. Anyone entering the nation should get a pamphlet that has a warning about drinking or consuming anything here anymore. Pretty soon we'll all be wearing buttons that say "Ask me which chemical gave me my cancer" soon. That said, yes you can get tested and (as you can probably guess) insurance won't pay for it.

[@queenpav]

Watching it now , had to check KZbin so sad 😭

[@TheSiobhanJackson]

Why am I just now hearing about this?!?...😕😡

[@LH-fp8kr]

Bravo to you Sir, for dedicating your life to justice and the right to health over profit. Shame on the greed. Bravo for your courage and commitment!!! And Ruffalo's courage to make this film.

[@irenenabizadeh6802]

Loved the movie! THANK YOU!

[@JamesHarris-hl2bm]

Superb film. Interesting though. You have two highly respected actors, both give Oscar worthy performances, then Todd Haynes, a highly respected director of Far From Heaven, Carol, etc., but this is about the multi-national DuPont. Notice how they made the film disappear and of course, it's the first Todd Haynes film since his slew of Oscar nominated films to be totally ignored. One guess why.....

[@DawnLauryn]

Do you have a direct link for the EWG Map? I visit their site regularly but haven't run across this.

[@THEGUDEEFFECT]

My uncle used to be a gardener for Dupont in Antioch California. For 40 years. Lucky for him he died of natural causes at the age of 86. Never heard of the C8 chemical till dark water came out. Scariest movie I've ever seen. The entire world has c8 chemical in the blood. That's just nuts.

[@dukevalsaint1918]

I just watched this! Our life is a joke

[@aliataya5125]

Imma watch it right now

[@namenl2205]

I'm here after Googling what the real story was because I'm about to watch this movie AND I KNOW THIS GON BE GOOOD

[@mahtabshoghi7385]

Thank you Rob

[@davidhunternyc1]

How about the company Calphalon cookware? They used teflon in their pans for decades. They had to know about its effects so why are they not held responsible too? One other concern I have is that ceramic cookware, like Greenpan, is replacing teflon in kitchens across the country but is it any healthier?

[@davidhunternyc1]

OH YOUNG JIN GENIUS Are you sure you don’t work for DuPont? Safe? How on earth is C8 safe? Safe at 1 part per billion? So says DuPont. Thank goodness I don’t own a Teflon pan. It’s not about me but about everyone else. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant? They all use Teflon pans and they are scratched. It’s reality. Teflon pans are not safe. There are plenty of documentaries about this too such as, Overload: America’s Toxic Love Story.

[@sheepdawwg]

Stainless steel I know it’s expensive but fuck these non sticks cook off of internal temp

[@loopernz]

Hero

[@chillychese]

Yet nothing ever happens

[@Thedarkknight2244]

Some heroes don’t wear capes - in the most unironic way possible

[@drew6082]

Nothing new under the sun monetary greed is and always will be the root of all evil. God bless all of you and I love each and every one of you.🙏👆

[@juneheale6623]

It is not the money that is the root of all evil, "it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil", you can read that in the Holy Bible. Money is okay if used wisely and generously, but hoarding and cheating others to keep it against all good things, that is where the love of money comes in as the root of all evil. And to further quote it is easier for a camel to get through an eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.

[@margitnooten1667]

Shocking

[@WLHS]

Is DuPont owned by Monsanto? On July 20, shareholders at Dow Chemical and DuPont agreed to a $59 billion merger that would bring under one umbrella two of the largest US chemical makers. ... 14, Bayer, the German pharmaceutical and chemical giant, said it had reached an agreement to purchase US seed company Monsanto for $66 billion.

[@gregl2249]

Where’s Matt Damon and Brad Pitt when you need them

[@eeltauy]

Fuck! goddamn corporate greed!!

[@nomanejane5766]

Crazy

[@pohakumana4288]

I get my water from the sky.

[@daiu48]

Acid Rain?

[@BiancaTallarico]

Great I live in Charleston, WV down from Dupont. Well guess I'm getting cancer. Didn't even know this happened. Jeez three years ago we had the MCHM spill into our drinking water. WV is a hellscape.

[@lizparsons7301]

Please get out of there as soon as you can. This stuff is like radioactive waste. In the meantime, raw garlic is a potent cancer fighter. As well as seaweed ( sushi wraps, ect.). Seaweed contains iodine and iodine in moderate amounts will help fight cancers. I hope you are able to relocate !

[@acordamedico7036]

"Taking me home to the place I belong west Virginia"

[@MikenNinginThai]

Blaming the company or man for something the GOVERNMENT allowed ad knew was going on. Companies are protected by capitalism and money.

[@grandmastercanuck]

Why would the producers shut this down so quickly like that? Afraid of DuPont perhaps?

[@hermit20082012]

what did the producers do?

[@BoydGilbreath]

So surprising water is contaminated! Duh! And that includes bottled water which is over 80% municipal tap water.

[@camilom2752]

So I'm from Chicago. So its very likely that many people I know, have meet and myself have been exposed to this. Definitely will look into it more. Also wonder if a filter would even do much to stop it.

[@Eva-xb4ui]

In a study they did, to find a blood sample from the world blood storage bank that didnt have pfoas in it they had to go back to 1930

[@pohakumana4288]

@BLUE DOG get rid of? Why the fuck would you have one in the first place? This isn't new. We knew this in the 60's. And WHAT? microwave popcorn?? We popped it in a stainless steel pot or qir pop it. Mountain Dew? WHAT?? lol ANY fucking soda. That's all shit sugar syrup water.

[@Eva-xb4ui]

@BLUE DOG du pont is to blame for pfoa...and polyesters. And epstein, well he died in prison rather than face sex trafficking and pedophilia charges. I think I missed your point....can you explain?

[@guangyang7221]

Is Teflon cancer causing

[@em945]

Yes

[@CRsolar]

Playing with chemicals we test for 100 years in a system with life designed over god zillions of years and God zillions of dimensions is probably like rolling the dice in the devil's casino sort of unpredictable.

[@brianjensen7977]

sucks that movies that try to cover important topics are always grossly underfunded and have shitty quality. same with rappers with good/positive lyrics. they get the worst beats/production.

[@brianjensen7977]

@BLUE DOG there are some american rappers who don't have terrible lyrics, but you will be hard pressed to find them and their style/beats aren't as good as the toxic rappers usually

[@AntonioGarmsci-cy5vt]

The Devil we Know! Use to live in Parkersburg, West By God Virginia!

[@pohakumana4288]

better be intaking CBDs

[@AntonioGarmsci-cy5vt]

@@pohakumana4288 I can not because of my occupation. DOT regulations.

[@pohakumana4288]

@@AntonioGarmsci-cy5vt MOVE! your life is more important than a job, isn't it?

[@scottdavis1549]

He’s alive.. spoiler...

[@ArtKO171]

The business always win. Untouchables corporations who only think to gain more and more cash. Even the planet will burn. I'm so sad to know that my sister's children will have a veritable hell for life.

[@pohakumana4288]

ELIZABETH WARREN WAS A DOW Chemial LAWYER, and fought to lower the payout to women who got sick from breast implants. And she was a republican for years.

[@shirleydilworth4691]

I think she's a Democrat.

[@pohakumana4288]

@@shirleydilworth4691 gee really, don't strain your brain

[@stephentaylor1916]

This is how we will end up! limited liability, imagine developed countries are managing this now,,,,, look up who are the biggest polluters atm!!!

[@deborahwhit118]

And MICHIGAN

[@buildsexualarousaldefeatth6313]

🙀 And: PSSD Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction

[@sheepdawwg]

I’m so happy his wife near left him during this insane event of trying to defeat a multi-billion dollar comgomlarent

[@salvadorgutierrez7947]

The truth !!! Who cares. ?

[@kpax45]

That is Trump and his supporters mentality

[@philgawthrop2518]

DuPont is a French company, Ibelieve!

[@kpax45]

No they are an American company

[@kpax45]

@BLUE DOG Yes your comment is there I was responding to guy who said DuPont is French company, it is American. From Kamloops, BC!

[@kpax45]

@BLUE DOG Lots to hunt in Kamloops

[@jcrossi56]

Wanna scream!?

[@sumgirl79]

🖤

[@matasuki]

Hulk Smash!

[@reddoglavrador]

nobody went to see this movie due to the pandemic, what luck for criminals

[@mixedup5858]

??? It's not that old movie

[@eh3477]

Available on Amazon Prime too.

[@CalmDownPeople]

9:30 you have all the time in the world pshhh..... unreal

[@user-nv6jo9vq3m]

Hero