The Forever Chemicals -- The Full Show | Great Lakes Now

“PFAS” is short for per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances - a family of chemicals used to make common household products and waterproof clothing. They’re being found in an increasing number of drinking water sources, and research is only beginning to determine the health effects and what treatments there might be. Great Lakes Now reports on how some communities are coping and paying for the contaminations and cleanups.
Great Lakes Now explores what it means for families when “PFAS” chemicals contaminate drinking water.
VISIT GreatLakesNow.org, a Detroit Public Television initiative.
SUBSCRIBE to Great Lakes Now’s Newsletter: www.greatlakesnow.org/great-l...
WATCH more DPTV videos: / @detroitpbs
Great Lakes Now shares stories about the Great Lakes Basin and the 40 million people who live, work and study here.
SUPPORT for Great Lakes Now comes from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Consumers Energy Foundation, Americana Foundation, Richard C. Devereaux Foundation Fund for Energy and Environmental Programming at Detroit Public Television, Polk Family Fund, Eve & Jerry Jung, and Tim and Laurie Wadhams, as well as from viewers and readers like you. To learn more about supporting Detroit Public Television and Great Lakes Now, click www.dptv.org/support/
FIND Great Lakes news on Facebook: / greatlakesnow
FOLLOW Great Lakes Now on Twitter: / greatlakesnow
CONNECT with Detroit Public Television on KZbin: / @detroitpbs
Great Lakes Now Needs your Feedback:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/J5MCLSS

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

This what happens when you let huge corporations run your country.

[@debrapaulino918]

Who is the "you?" I wasn't asked. Were you?

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

@@debrapaulino918 No, which is why I never wotled for them and where possible avoid em

[@SnakeBush]

This was a small company doing ignorant dumping. It can be happening right next door

[@jennifertarin4707]

​@@SnakeBushwolverine is not a "small" company any more than 3M is a "small" company.

[@baseballworldwide9439]

Vicariously through the gov. A true 💩 show we’re in, eh?

[@road2nowhere733]

I am from Western Australia. In our South West an American company (Alcoa) is operating. They have asked for permission to build a pipeline for their waste water (PFAS content) over a dam that provides drinking water.... the kicker is that they went ahead and built it and it is in use before it was even approved. I am sharing this video among my community so people understand the risk. Thankyou for getting the message out

[@williebeamish5879]

Watch out, greed rules Corporate America. Profits over people.

[@hope5443]

​@@williebeamish5879apparently it rules Australia too, or the company wouldn't be there.

[@SnakeBush]

F

[@natyr707]

dupont makes teflon cooking pans. they contaminated the drinking water in west Virginia and started doing secret research on how bad the contamination got.. turns out ever human on this planet has pfas in their blood to different levels.

[@brentj.peterson6070]

Completely disgraceful. Screw future generations and the environment. Just dump the waste out in the woods when nobody's watching. Gotta keep the profits and stock rising.

[@potatochips5282]

Makes you wonder why this hasn't been pushed on mainstream media. This isn't just another story.

[@nemodapimpfish]

Because it won't make them money.

[@davidlang9939]

For the past 50 years, the public television network has constantly covered the toxins subjects in depth bc they were commercial-free and not controlled by the corporate (polluting) ad $$$ that makes other networks thrive. The American public is not entertained by science, facts, and changing ones lifestyle for health and safety reasons.

[@micahgelfand8282]

Who cares about poisoning the entire planet? How's that going to help stock prices and shareholders?

[@AndrewKidd14145]

@@nemodapimpfish not the case. More like better to not stir up problems.

[@EarTipper]

There’s probably 1001 things like this all over the United States.

[@riverdeep399]

something 40,000 Forever Chemicals. DW Documentaries are doing good series of them, PFAS.

[@ElonizuMuskamoto]

Yeah so crazy!

[@saudielbamber4227]

Yeah and half the time it's the military causing it. And yet Republicans want to cut the epa back

[@Erin-rg3dw]

Correct, and they're discovering more all the time. Recently, local farmland was declared unsafe because the manure being used had high amounts of PFAS in it from the exposure the manure makers were under, meaning the dirt was being contaminated. And this wasn't an isolated farm - it's predicted this issue could be widespread.

[@krustyb9068]

Just in Michigan my friend

[@tarajoyce3598]

Why are these still operating corporations not responsible for clean up?

[@woodennecktie]

fascinating , right in the middle of this doc , a commercial for tefal saucepans and skillets .....

[@Jessicascleaningtips]

The anti flammable pj's we wore in the 70s

[@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305]

My mom doesnt seem to care when i tell her this stuff is in teflon pans, if it were my house i woulda tossed those pans out years ago, but all i can do is cook in the stainless steel pans or the ceramic pans to try to avoid this stuff..

[@FrancisE.Dec.Esquire]

Old Timey Iron Cookware, and buy American Antique or France Made, the Chinese made are nasty and cannot be made useful. You have to Rubb Hog Lard with a Thick Paper Napkin and then Turn on Haeat and let in Burn In the Hog Laed can be sustutating Olive Oil or Other Non Processed like Cisco which is not even food, it was made from Lubricant Invented for German Submarines in 1905.

[@melisentiapheiffer3034]

@@FrancisE.Dec.Esquire iron cookware will mess up your brain.

[@riverdeep399]

@@melisentiapheiffer3034 That's copper pans.

[@Interestingworld4567]

@@riverdeep399 both iron and copper are bad. The best pans literally are stainless steel specially stainless steal 304L and the premium stainless steel 316 Titanium made. I have predicted that as soon as people began to realize that stainless steel pans are the best the price on these cookware is going to go up get a stainless steel cookware now that you can because later the stainless steel cookware that used to cost $1000 will be later like $5000 and up.

[@henanren]

These chemicals are actually not in non-stick pans, they're actually in much higher concentrations in the tap water. They get burned off the pans during manufacturing

[@WonderMagician]

When and how will we hold major US corporation accountable for poisoning our air, water and soil?

[@williamford8027]

Change you're Gov't, Bernie has to be better than the status quo

[@donnaallgaier-lamberti3933]

It is CRIMINAL that there is no control over the amounts of PFAS in our drinking water. These companies must be held accountable.

[@at9871]

You are talking about a government that intentionally puts fluoride in water. It is toxic if ingested, any toothpaste using it for teeth health warns not to swallow it. And yet it is added to water for consumption.

[@yoo-xe7iv]

Dupont is still making Teflon even after the case That's power

[@debrapaulino918]

People can choose not to buy the products. That does require awareness of what they are. That can be addressed in many ways not all of which would be easy to do in the municipalities. Pushback can be expected. People buy water resistant jackets just as one example. People used umbrellas before. People want nothing holding them back off the trails. It will not end w/o legislation. Diapers for example. Even creating biodegradable plastic doesn't solve the tons of poop and urine seeping into groundwater from landfills. That in addition to everything else. We do not want to think about what is coming through legislation and removing folks from rural land into metropolitan designated (quarantines) perimeters is seen as tyranny. Well? What is the solution.

[@Ty4755]

we are all a bunch of lobsters in a simmering pot of water right now. Eventually, it will turn to a boil, it's hard having hope for this world when you ban a chemical and they just make another identical one right behind it. can we ever actually fix any of these problems?

[@nuryaparish3349]

Thank you for posting this.

[@lorijohnson9230]

it's so easy to change those tests and they do!

[@Write662]

Dark Waters brought me here. Interesting interview, but no one is asking the follow up questions that need to be answered. Why aren’t all harmful chemicals bans; why just the two? If Wolverine states 3M should also be fiscally responsible (and I agree) then why doesn’t the lawsuit include them? Where are the laws to protect tax payers from companies that pollute groundwater, food, or air? Keep hearing about money, but none of those major companies pay taxes. The state and federal needs to work for the people not for corporations. Also what about the water in Flint?

[@dillondavis9615]

Dark waters is bs the devil we know on Netflix is a true documentary

[@MrIkesimba]

@@dillondavis9615 "Dark Waters" isn't trying to be a documentary.

[@jerrykinworthy9225]

state and government don't make any money off of the individual but millions off of corporations, thats a day a symptom of capitalism.

[@edwardstarling1835]

After biden this country will be a 3rd world slum.

[@MeterService]

Well said

[@melissastarr9280]

People made big bucks and now others pay the price... sad situation. So much pollution!

[@potatochips5282]

Makes me wonder if the community itself gets together & help clean the shorelines.

[@DETSRC313]

TRUTH

[@bigjd2k]

They’re all doing the same thing now in the third world and China... going to be another disaster at a much larger scale. With all sorts of contaminants.

[@jasonvanatta8508]

My father was blind all his life and died at 55 filled with cancer. from environmental poisoning (Hanford nuclear site downwinder, walla-walla Washington) I still dont know if it will get me too. Im 47. Americans all across the country have been poisoned by corporate greed and the fact that we just didnt realize what we were putting in our water and in our bodies. its really crazy and its all coming out now as the 1960s-1980s generations die off from cancer...

[@rdEyrapr]

I have been preaching this since 2010s so glad people are finally listening. Raised in Tennessee, drank from the hose and have a black spot in the middle of my 2 front top teeth.

[@anandchundi6805]

you brush and floss 2x a day?

[@rdEyrapr]

@@anandchundi6805 ya y?

[@michellefinley1959]

You know what's crazy when you tell people about this stuff when you have a suspicion or knowledge on it people want to say it's a conspiracy but then they find out you were right. This just burns my butt.

[@rdEyrapr]

@@michellefinley1959 what is crazier is that they think you are crazy till it's too late with everything that actually matters

[@napleswolverine7189]

@@anandchundi6805 hey you drink polluted water and go get a liver transplant what a dumb thing to say punk

[@DETSRC313]

As easy as it is to focus on the Wolverine company I'd have to agree with them on pointing out that 3M is equally responsible for its role in this situation.

[@nobody687]

So 3m told them to dump their products in a dump. Wolverine knew better and just took the cheapest option. Why doesn't wolverine sue 3m. They should pay for it and then seek reimbursement from 3m, if not then it's a sham

[@letterslayer7814]

@@nobody687 3m isnt much better... i would argue the blame falls on both but in this case more on wolverine 3m for pushing this idea that these chemicals pose little to no risk to our health, and on wolverine for dumping toxic waste

[@omeganickum]

3M stop producing it because they knew it was toxic and Dupont pick the product up and started manufacturing it again in the 50s as taflon

[@Buffy-ip4io]

Don't forget Dow.

[@conspiracyfifteensixteenth5756]

Its in firefighting.. The fire retardant is full of PFAS..which then makes it in our water systems..

[@Interestingworld4567]

Yep

[@Greybone62]

Like the the Fire-retardant that is released from Fire-fighting Air-crafts, seen so many times in The News? Probably a lot of acres that is contaminated in the Western region of The States, then..

[@Thats_Unfortunate]

I’m assuming it’s in the stuff that they dump over forests during fires?

[@ayecab]

These are the wages of deregulation and giving businesses the power to do anything they want without accountability.

[@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786]

I live in Ottawa County located in the southwest corner. How can I find out if our well is contaminated

[@chrissadjedy8490]

I hope there is a plan to get rid of these forever chemicals. Thanks to the polluters. I have so many people I know that are sick and have died due to water contamination and I'm one of them who is sick from this problem!!!! If I catch someone around me polluting I will confront them on the spot and I mean it....

[@Financierpro1]

Activated charcoal, reverse osmosis will help us. EPA knows about this and still won't ban PFAs

[@MeterService]

It's still being dumped in the Tennessee River. You're right EPA is part of the problem a Bigley problem!!!

[@user-oo1ps9bo3j]

Why & where is the other reply 🙏❤️

[@ShadowWizard123]

Such a shame because Belmont and Rockford are just wonderful little towns. I often ride the bike trails that run parallel to the Rogue River and it is just lovely.

[@seankingwell3692]

Southern Ontario is horrible, if people knew the industrial military history of this area none would drink the water ground or from taps. Masons love suffering, the poorest people in town live on well water and they are the ones who have to do the factory work to afford to live working at the plants that source the contamination of the Maitland Thames rivers in southern Ontario with hexavalent chromium and steel lube in Wingham, high acid yeast bacteria from labatts brewery in London into the river, Ipperwash in Mount Forest has old base where Canada burried the toxic history of its nuclear program from WW2 along with Ogent orange after spraying it all over populated area's of Southern Ontario. Its burried under land mines. I know of these instances because I lived near them, I know it must be a lot worse many towns I haven't seen but I know how the Masons set things up to poison the poor that do the most slavery. I STILL CAN'T CONVINCE PEOPLE I KNOW HERE TO NOT DRINK THAT WATER, THE FLUORIDE AND BRAINWASHING HAVE CONTROL OF THEM.

[@beatrixbrennan1545]

For the parents of the baby affected by pfos, didn't anyone tell them that infants are NOT SUPPOSED to drink water until they're at least a year????

[@finn1355]

ALL GOVERNMENTS NEED TO TEST FOR ALL PFAS INDICATORS.

[@mariekatherine5238]

The problem in many areas is the fact that the polluters are companies that haven’t existed in many decades. An example would be contaminants in ground water dumped by contractors on the outskirts of Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. The water in a homes built about a decade afterwards became contaminated. The Lab was eventually sued, and in turn, Associated Universities who turned around and sued the Federal Government. At the time of the dumping, the contractors had agreed to remove all chemicals when they left. The dumping, then, was a breach of contract. BNL learned indirectly of the problem in the 1990s when an odd cancer cluster showed up in homeowners. The suit against the Lab and now, US Govt. is not for the dumping itself, but for failure to provide proper supervision. The actual worksite is clean because the contractors dumped the dioxin at the far outskirts of BNL property, at the time, in the middle of undeveloped land. A similar situation exists only a dozen miles from BNL at the site of the former Grumman Aerospace company who were building for NASA and producing planes for the US Navy. Again, a couple of decades passed before the problem manifested itself in cancer and birth defects in the residents of homes not built until the early 1980’s. The bad water is in the process of being eliminated by extending mains water to the affected houses and installation by the Navy, (US Govt.) of a filtration system. The people actually paying for it are the adult children, adult grandchildren, and soon great grandchildren of the people who put it there in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

[@Bloodcurling]

Rick Snyder being in charge of water quality is beyond comical. (Flint)

[@jimmyjames1474]

Read up on the largest superfund site in the country (The Hanford Reach), it's tragic, it makes this seem small, but it's not.

[@michaeld4861]

I'm sure Gov. Rick Snyder really cared about people having clean safe drinking water.... oh wait.... guess the good ol' gov. must have never heard about Flint.

[@Dieselpwr]

How can you not notice the taste of it

[@susanwheadon4487]

Why are their no comments. This is horrendous.

[@tpilot_error404]

3M doing it again in Belgium , Europe

[@rokobasilik4877]

Good vid👍

[@jerrykinworthy9225]

It is frightening how many places that things like this are experiencing things like this all over the country some known other still not known.

[@lorijohnson9230]

oh my God!

[@MikeMikeYT]

commenting for the algorithm

[@anthonyfuentes947]

My grandmother lives in a small town in Michigan called white pigeon. I feel like her water is contaminated as well because she has a private well. The water does have a awkward taste to it, it also smells like methane a bit.

[@lexusl849]

If it smell weird don't drink it.

[@Erin-rg3dw]

Many states offer free water testing, especially for well water. Sometimes it's just a mineral or something that isn't harmful, other times it can be hazardous. Better to find out. A friend of mine has a well that can't be used for drinking without boiling due to E. coli or something like that, but it's fine for bathing.

[@ellafrood8096]

If the charcoal filters etc can capture the pollutants, why aren't all factories made up install them on the premises to capture these and any other pollutants that we don't know about yet? There have been pollution problems since the industrial revolution governments have had time to pass a few laws. What is stopping them?

[@CampingforCool41]

They said in this video, it’s because it costs a ton of money to install. Money is always the problem.

[@Erin-rg3dw]

Money. If regulators wanted to pass laws, businesses would either fight/make loopholes, or the businesses would leave. Sadly, part of why many businesses leave the US is not just cheaper labor costs, but less environmental regulation, making it cheaper to do business somewhere else. If the cost of the filters wasn't necessarily prohibitive, it may also be another factor, such as it makes the pumps less efficient, or would require some special equipment. There also needs to be an effective and available way to dispose of the used filters.

[@markcampbell7577]

The water filter should be charcoal or hard coal with two filters and break through detectors using resistance and wheatstone bridge. This less expensive design is as effective. Research and development show how much charcoal or anthracite coal is needed to get below 3 ppt .. The primary source of PFA is the hazardous waste burners at the chemical weapon dump in Georgia USA.

[@mr.RAND5584]

Marilao river in Philippines. Sad...

[@liviuaugustin]

What filters she has? Can someone post the name or link here?

[@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305]

Activated carb9n will remove most pfas. Get yourself one of thise 20 inch big blue house filters.. and use two 5micron activated carbon or GAC filters and youll be fine.

[@AndrewKidd14145]

Caused all the illnesses we see exponentially.

[@Tiger-Baby]

Define the police. No desk jockey should be paid a quarter of a million a year! They say they're underpaid... the rookies are on 90k in some places. Make civil suits come out of their budget. And challenge historic contracts where corrupt politicians allowed these companies to leave with no responsibility to clean up nor upkeep their ageing pipe systems.... Research your area. Look at budgets And see how much money is available when you end the huge salaries of officials. They get benefits too. Monitor those. One guy had his own armoured car built! Check your officials. And Research who was in charge at the time the corporations moved in. Rape and pillage. Its all they do. No contemplation of people living with the fear they're going to develop some life threatening condition, and there's no responsibility anywhere. Employ inspectors. There are very few. It's mostly self regulated. How can that be allowed? Are we doing a good job? Oh, yes, we're doing a stellar job. OK... 🙄

[@markcampbell7577]

This is the reflection of the confusion we are always caught on the diversity of chemicals but there is a common quality. Halogenated vinyl and halogenated carbon.

[@paddy9449]

O, It will be OK TRUST ME!!!!!!....I'm a LAWYER

[@Hangstaz]

Wow, stay away from Michigan.

[@melissastarr9280]

I live in michigan... industry has ruined a lot of lives....

[@DETSRC313]

Post industrial consequences continue......

[@house625xx]

It's everywhere

[@calklobuchar]

It’s everywhere

[@yoo-xe7iv]

Why wouldn't theynat least store the c8 sludge in tanks that won't carode.

[@beatrixbrennan1545]

Yeah they should store it in tanks lined with pfos

[@richardrichford2617]

Pfas is also already in the foods we eat.

[@yashpatel261]

Distill your water people. A distiller costs less than $100 and lasts for years.

[@markcampbell7577]

The liver damage is common to all halogenated vinyl and halogenated carbon molecules.

[@user-es2pf9ec8g]

whenever you lose blood, you lose pfas. you can also try dialysis using hydrophobic filters.

[@debrapaulino918]

Have to logically ask what would the people employed in these companies have done for work? Family farms have been going out a long time. People have no choice but to follow the work.

[@Simba______]

Paying for the contaminations? That doesn't make sense. Who wrote this video's description?

[@finn1355]

CLEAN UP THE TANNING SITE. GET THE SCRAPS OUT OF THE RIVER AND OFF THE RIVER BANKS.

[@masoncarvir]

We’ll never win. There’s nothing we can do

[@oouknow4176]

Wake up everyone this is a BiG health risk. Omg EPA needs to get there head out of there ass start protecting our environment you know your JOB

[@edgarperezlfwl]

My lease doesn't expire until Dec 31st . Im homeless . 1st Judge - Became Enlightened . 2nd Judge Broke Law . Prairie State Legal - Malpractice Owner - broke lease , ADA , rented commercial as residential . Fox Lake Mayor Malfeasance. I have paper and video proof . No brave attorney . On Our Own. Fed Court Next

[@ElenivonMondlichtApsouneli]

What happened and after many decades everyone find out about this - now it is time to find about the other products especially about medical ... of the last year and warn the people to DON'T DO IT...! If you want a list of them we are very happy to send one, but it will be HUGE and long HAHA ---- ---

[@DavidHuber63]

Wheels of justice turn slow when money rules over life.

[@justrosy5]

"Waterproof but breathable." Personal hygiene products. Diapers, pads, panty liners, adult diapers, period-panties...

[@SnakeBush]

F

[@jackwardley3626]

PFAS does cause high cholesterol. I don't get all this talk amount having a safe level of PFAS in the water etc there is no safe level of PFAS there kidding themselves by even suggesting it.

[@edwardkantowicz4707]

EPA stands for : E veryone P OISONED A lready ☠️☠️☠️

[@monikagonzales2658]

It’s our fault how awful. Once known just stop.

[@richardrichford2617]

The town says it can't be filtered out of water.

[@richardrichford2617]

There in 40 plus states .

[@donastreetman5427]

Is there a list of which states?

[@richardrichford2617]

@@donastreetman5427 go on line its 40 somthing states