Exposure

Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont

By: Robert Bilott

Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Mark Ruffalo - Introduction

Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

“For Erin Brockovich fans, a David vs. Goliath tale with a twist” (The New York Times Book Review) - the incredible true story of the lawyer who spent two decades building a case against DuPont for its use of the hazardous chemical PFOA, uncovering the worst case of environmental contamination in history - affecting virtually every person on the planet - and the conspiracy that kept it a secret for 60 years. The story that inspired Dark Waters, the major motion picture from Focus Features starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway, directed by Todd Haynes.

It's 1998: Rob Bilott is a young lawyer specializing in helping big corporations stay on the right side of environmental laws and regulations. Then he gets a phone call from a West Virginia farmer named Earl Tennant, who is convinced the creek on his property is being poisoned by runoff from a neighboring DuPont landfill, causing his cattle and the surrounding wildlife to die in hideous ways. Earl hasn’t even been able to get a water sample tested by any state or federal regulatory agency or find a local lawyer willing to take the case. As soon as they hear the name DuPont - the area’s largest employer - they shut him down. Once Rob sees the thick, foamy water that bubbles into the creek, the gruesome effects it seems to have on livestock, and the disturbing frequency of cancer and other health problems in the area, he’s persuaded to fight against the type of corporation his firm routinely represents. After intense legal wrangling, Rob ultimately gains access to hundreds of thousands of pages of DuPont documents, some of them 50 years old, that reveal the company has been holding onto decades of studies proving the harmful effects of a chemical called PFOA, used in making Teflon. PFOA is often called a “forever chemical”, because once in the environment, it does not break down or degrade for millions of years, contaminating the planet forever. The case of one farmer soon spawns a class-action suit on behalf of 70,000 residents - and the shocking realization that virtually every person on the planet has been exposed to PFOA and carries the chemical in his or her blood. What emerges is a riveting legal drama “in the grand tradition of Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action” (Booklist, starred review) about malice and manipulation, the failings of environmental regulation; and one lawyer’s 20-year struggle to expose the truth about this previously unknown - and still unregulated - chemical that we all have inside us.

©2019 Robert Bilott (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Rob Bilott: selfless superhero

One man raised awareness of one of the most widespread and damaging chemicals in the world. We need more Rob Bilotts in this world.

Compelling!

I had actually already watch the movie, so I had the gist of what was going to happen, but I was still kept wanting more of the story every chapter that went by. All I can say now is thank God that there are still good people in this world.

An Amazing American Legal Story

In the past few years, lawyers have written very well telling stories of their lives. Kamala Harris, John Kerry, Elizabeth Warren, J.D. “Hillbilly Elegy” Vance are examples. Other lawyers have written wonderful books of their experiences with specific issues such as Madeline Albright, Andrew McCabe, James Comey, Bryan “Just Mercy” Stevenson and Doug Jones et. al. for Building Towards Justice. So, the bar has been set pretty high, and unfortunately Robert Bilott doesn’t meet the standard. His writing style is often disconnected ranging from personal feelings, excessive work, his connection with lawyers and litigants and his astounding efforts as a plaintiff lawyer trying to bring Dupont to justice for knowingly poisoning virtually everyone with PFOA and PFOS chemicals causing thousands to suffer from everything from kidney disease to cancer.
It is a wonderful story told by a lawyer who dedicated decades of his life to ultimately successfully bringing the 35th largest company in America to some significant legal financial responsibility. While there are times when one doesn’t quite understand the complexity of the litigation, he tries to bring it to us with a fundamental understanding of an extremely complex legal, scientific and ultimately moral story. So, the minor quibbles about style or even his fairly humorless writing pales when one learns of the myriad pressures and stonewalling that Mr. Bilott endured at the hands of Dupont and their attorneys. I disagree with the New York Times that this story is skillfully told, but that shouldn’t detract from everyone learning this truly American tale of money and legal camouflage versus a dedicated, unbelievably hard-working lawyer seeking justice for the many victims of Dupont’s duplicity. It is a story that continues after the book ends, so more is yet to come. Hopefully for us, Attorney Bilott will see it through.

Fury into Action

I got this book after the movie peaked my interest. An incredible read that will infuriate you and drive you to question many things about life in the USA...from regulatory bodies to drinking water.

Needed read as a plumber

I found this story to be very helpful. I am a plumber continuing to try to understand the impact PFAS has on our environment and health. I had to start somewhere and turned to the internet. Searching the history, impact and regulations — I had navigated a vast amount of information. I wish I started with this book instead of finding it three years into my journey. I found this to be a great starting block to understand the journey of understanding how we got to where we are now. More information is out and regulations have been strengthened, but more needs to be done. Stay safe y’all. I don’t want to be known as the PFAS plumber, but it seems like I’m headed that way.

OUTSTANDING-Definitely TOP 5 favorites

Truly enjoyed this.. I literally listened straight thru in 2 days! I could not stop listening.
First off: The amount of detail, felt like I was sitting next to him following every document and evidence he was reviewing. The imagination that you get from reading, truly comes through in this book. I could not imagine it read and written any differently.

Second: The amount of material that was in-depth explained in terminology that all readers could understand, made it something that could be easily followed and nothing to stop you from enjoying it. I got 1 chapter in through this book and had already recommended it to over 10 people.

I was excited to hear the details of all parts of the long drawn out case that that the author had endure of this case. You, the author, should be truly proud of yourself on dedication, the strong work ethic and the amount of courage to take this case and accomplish the needed end goal, justice!

Required reading for all citizens

Exceptionally well written and performed book on a must read topic. The writing (and the reader) make it easy to listen to, although the subject matter is often hard to hear. I was not surprised DuPont resisted acknowledging their wrong doing, I was surprised how hard they fought, gaslighting everyone for so long. The story confirmed my abject lack of trust in the actions of virtually all companies. It is sad that people struggle to maintain thrust and belief in these companies. I am grateful for the work of the author and the willingness of his firm to back him.

Couldn't put it down

Well written and educational as to how we are all poisoned by Dupont. Everyone should read this book!

Super Factual "Super fund"exceptional must read

Urgently!informative critical recommendation for legislation community activists, the sack of all conscience life as we know of it prophetically chilling and current.

Well worth the time to read/listen to

Well written and informative tale about the poisoning of the environment. I first heard about thus book in a segment of the American Public Media business podcast Marketplace. It sounded interesting and proved to be a great read. Big business and big money are corrupting everything they touch and the actions of I.E.DuPont are shameful. As the author states we are all walking toxic waste dumps due to the exposure to PFOA.