Mariah Blake will join Moms Clean Air Force’s Maria Finnegan for a conversation about forever chemicals on October 9 at 7 PM ET. Learn more and register for the livestream here.
Becoming a mother inspired journalist Mariah Blake’s journey to understand the threats posed by toxic chemicals in our environment. So much so that her new book, They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals, opens with an account of her as a mother-to-be, “burying herself in research” about how to keep her child safe—sound familiar?
“What I learned was awe-inspiring and sobering,” she writes. “During those crucial early weeks when the cells knit themselves into brain and organs and fingers and lips, a steady flow of man-made chemicals pulses through the umbilical cord, permeating the fetus’ blood and tissue. This is why, from their very first moments of life, every American newborn carries a slew of chemicals in their body.”
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They Poisoned the World is a deeply horrifying account of the chemical industry’s decades-long campaign to pull the wool over our eyes—specifically to convince us that PFAS, or human-made forever chemicals, found in everything from dental floss to cookware to milk, are safe. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to cancer, infertility, diabetes, hormone disruption, and life-threatening pregnancy complications. We asked Mariah about her work and her inspiration. This is what she shared:
What drew you to the story of forever chemicals?
My interest in the topic dates back to 2015, when I stumbled across a lawsuit that a family of West Virginia farmers had filed against the chemical giant DuPont, after runoff from a company landfill had killed off their cattle. Their case wound up exposing an astonishing coverup involving a certain forever chemical that DuPont used to make Teflon. The company had known for decades that it was highly toxic and was in the blood of virtually every person on the planet, but it had buried these findings.
Back then, almost no one had heard of this class of chemicals, so I was floored. I wound up writing an article about the farmers’ legal battle. I eventually decided to expand it into a book-length exposé, focusing on the history of these substances. However, as I was researching, tens of millions of Americans began learning that their drinking water was polluted with forever chemicals and public interest in the issue exploded. I wound up chronicling an epic public health crisis unfolding in real time.
How did you go about researching They Poisoned the World?
The book knits together two disparate but related threads. One is a deep investigation of the chemical industry and its decades-long campaign to hide the dangers of PFAS. It was pieced together from tens of thousands of archival records, court papers, and U.S. government documents, many of them previously classified.
The other is a moving human story about four families in Hoosick Falls, New York, who took on some of the world’s most powerful corporations at great personal expense—and wound up scoring some remarkable victories. To report that thread, I spent eight years essentially embedded in these people’s lives.
What’s one thing you think everyone should know about forever chemicals?
That they are the most insidious pollutants in all of human history. We’re talking about a class of chemicals that persist in the environment for thousands of years. Those that have been studied are highly toxic even in miniscule doses, and they are literally polluting the entire planet, including human blood and ecosystems in the remotest parts of the world. PFAS are arguably more widespread than even microplastics, and the evidence tying them to serious health problems is far more robust.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
That ordinary citizens can make a meaningful difference. My book focuses largely on Hoosick Falls, but variations of what happened there are happening all across the country: Thousands of people whose lives have been devastated by PFAS are fighting to turn off the tap on these chemicals—and making serious headway, even as the Trump administration is dismantling environmental regulation.
One sign of this is the rising tide of state legislation. So far, 30 U.S. states have passed at least 200 laws restricting PFAS, including at least 16 full or partial bans on the entire class of chemicals consumer goods. Crucially, this trend has only accelerated since Donald Trump took office.
Who is your favorite environmental writer?
Rachel Carson. Besides being a beautiful prose stylist, she completely transformed the way Americans think about their relationship with the natural world. Environmental writing wouldn’t exist in its current form without her, nor would environmentalism.
Do you call yourself an environmentalist?
No, because I don’t want there to be any confusion about my role. I’m a journalist not an activist.
Which film, past or present, best captures community advocacy and toxic chemical issues today?
That’s a good question. Most films on these topics follow the same plotline as Erin Brockovich, with outsiders parachuting into fence-line communities and fighting for them. What I’ve witnessed on the ground is something far more interesting: ordinary citizens from every imaginable background who set out to protect their families and communities and wound up building the most powerful grassroots environmental movement since Silent Spring.