Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals

A portrait of people fighting for truth and accountability as they confront the environmental injustice of "forever chemicals."

Invisible and nearly indestructible, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have seeped into the blood of almost every American and permeated the natural world. These insidious chemicals now drift on global air currents, fall in rain, accumulate in soils and food webs, and can persist in ecosystems for generations. Inescapable reveals how ordinary people are tackling the toxic impacts from this sprawling class of industrial compounds--long used in consumer products, building supplies, and firefighting foam and still widely produced.

Journalist Marina Schauffler recounts how PFAS contamination in Maine, a state known for its bountiful farms, woods, and waters, has upended lives and livelihoods, endangered public health, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Stories from homeowners, firefighters, farmers, tribal members, researchers, and elected officials reveal the staggering implications of the federal government's failure to regulate synthetic chemicals that manufacturers have known for decades were toxic. Maine is among states at the forefront of PFAS testing and regulation, but no region is immune from this chemical threat.

The poignant accounts in this book illuminate the challenge of reckoning with the far-reaching effects of PFAS and addressing the ongoing burden borne by highly affected individuals. Countless communities across the nation and world could face similar struggles as the ubiquity of PFAS contamination becomes clear. Inescapable offers a roadmap for tackling this chemical Hydra.

F. Marina Schauffler is a journalist and the author of Turning to Earth: Stories of Ecological Conversion.