Poison in the Pipes
PFAS, Schools, and the Battle for Clean Water

About this book:

They're called "forever chemicals" for a reason. PFAS—industrial compounds in everything from non-stick pans to firefighting foam—don't break down in the environment or the human body. They accumulate. And they're flowing from drinking fountains in schools across America. *Poison in the Pipes* begins with a North Carolina district's multi-million-dollar fight to filter its water after a nearby chemical plant contaminated the supply, then widens the lens to reveal a nationwide crisis hiding in plain sight.

From the boardrooms that suppressed health data to the regulatory gaps that let contamination spread unchecked, this book traces how a class of chemicals designed for convenience became a generational health threat. You'll meet the parents who demanded answers, the scientists sounding the alarm, and the communities—often the poorest and most marginalized—bearing the heaviest burden. The chapters on testing, filtration, and the brutal math of who pays for cleanup are as urgent as they are revealing.

But this isn't just an exposé. It's a roadmap. With coverage of landmark settlements, breakthrough remediation technologies, federal and state policy fights, and the grassroots movements forcing accountability, *Poison in the Pipes* equips readers to understand the scope of the crisis—and what it takes to solve it. The water our children drink shouldn't be a gamble. This book shows how to make sure it isn't.