And the companies “ought to be paying”, not taxpayers, he argues. Bilott fears limited funding will not allow for the necessary scope, however. But it does get your attention. “Do we really want to keep exposing the population to potentially toxic chemicals and simply wait for the scientists to find statistically convincing evidence that they are toxic?” says Dr. Grandjean. His two decades of work negotiated water filtration and treatment for affected communities, the establishment of a novel scientific panel for human health studies, and the introduction of a medical monitoring program for thousands of people exposed. It’s worth listening to what Bilott has to say. “It is extremely unlikely to ever break down without us going out there and physically finding a way to get rid of it.”. Eighteen years ago, a lawyer named Robert Bilott sent a letter to the EPA, the attorney general, and other regulators, warning them about a chemical called PFOA, short for perfluorooctanoic acid. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Who should be TIME’s Person of the Year for 2019? The renowned author and environmental attorney is the tireless advocate behind the 20-year battle against DuPont, poisoned water, and corporate greed. “We’re talking about chemicals that resulted in billions of dollars in profits over many, many years,” says Bilott. Robert Bilott is an environmental attorney from America. Then he took on an environmental suit that would upend his entire career — and expose a … And the company the Tennants sued was the largest employer in the county. GIS Resources After Bilott threated to sue ATSDR for failing to look at PFAS exposures, the agency said it would start collecting data from at least eight sites around the United States. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Public Health & Policy > Environmental Health 'Dark Waters': Behind-the-Scenes With Attorney Who Took on DuPont — Chemical in Teflon was "completely unregulated" when Robert Bilott … According to one analyst, the film’s potential to raise awareness about these issues could have a serious effect on some chemical companies’ bottom lines. Bilott achieved a class-action settlement with DuPont in 2004, part of which paid for a six-year health study. Separately, Bilott has also pushed the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) into action. “We notified the EPA 18 years ago that PFOA in drinking water presented a public health threat, and in 2019 there are still no federal regulatory limits,” Bilott told me. And this week environmental officials in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark announced a plan to restrict all PFAS compounds and phase out most uses by 2030. “If that’s what it takes to get people the information they need and to protect people, we’re willing to do it.”. These chemicals are widely used in everyday products such as non-stick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics, even though science shows they are linked to a range of deadly diseases, reproductive problems and other ailments. Myanmar’s Creatives Fighting Military Rule With Art, military bases, where they have been used for years. PFAS chemicals are used in products ranging from waterproof jackets to shaving cream, and they can leach into water supplies in areas where they are disposed of or used in fire suppression (in particular on military bases, where they have been used for years). Robert Bilott, who successfully sued DuPont over PFOA, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of everyone in the U.S. who has PFAS chemicals in their blood. They would have no relief whatsoever.”. (The panel portrayed in the movie took seven years to come to its determination.) CIEL Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet. Outside of the companies that made and used PFOA, most people had never heard of it. Update The health and well-being of our employees, customers, and communities is our top priority. “That should be more than sufficient to help pay for whatever studies need to be done.”. In 1998, Rob Bilott began a legal battle against DuPont that would consume the next twenty years of his life, uncovering the worst case of environmental contamination in modern history and a corporate cover-up that put the health of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Write to Alejandro de la Garza at alejandro.delagarza@time.com. But I suspect most people across the United States are still unfamiliar with PFAS and don’t realize the exposure that occurs. By signing up you are agreeing to our, 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Is a Bracing Tale of Betrayal, How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. Those people claimed they had contracted diseases, among them kidney cancer and testicular cancer, from chemicals DuPont allegedly knew may have been dangerous for decades, and allowed to contaminate their drinking water anyway. To date Rob has secured benefits in excess of $1 billion for a wide array of firm clients adversely impacted by PFAS contamination, including through key leadership positions in the nation’s first class action, personal injury, medical monitoring, and multi-district litigations, and jury trials involving PFAS. “This is a unique health threat in the sense of its scope and magnitude,” Bilott says. Rather than seeking monetary damages for the millions of Americans with PFAS in their blood, the lawsuit demands the Chemours and the other chemical companies pay for an independent science panel to definitively establish the health effects of PFAS. “We are leading the industry by supporting federal legislation and science-based regulatory efforts to address these chemicals,” the company wrote in an email. Discovery Health's National Body Challenge A reality series about working with families to transform their lives by incorporating a comprehensive fitness and weight-loss challenge program. Alum Robert Bilott educates the public on the dangers of “forever chemicals” ... global public health threat bearing down upon all of us, though few know of it or realize its risk. That ongoing case is seeking class action status, and was initially brought on behalf of Kevin Hardwick, a firefighting veteran of 40 years who used fire-suppression foams and firefighting equipment containing a class of chemicals known as PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOA is one type of PFAS chemical). DuPont and manufacturing industry voices have sought to discredit Bilott and the Dark Waters film. The case could take years to resolve, and then years after that for any potential science panel to publish definitive conclusions. And this threat, unlike Covid-19, is of a scope and scale without precedent in human history. Robert Bilott’s recently released his new book entitled Exposure, which describes the 20-year battle against the chemical giant and the exposé of one of the worst cases of environmental contamination in modern history. It wouldn't surprise anyone that a lawyer dogged as Bilott is continuing the same work. Bilott has spent more than twenty years litigating hazardous dumping of the chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Sharon Lerner October 6 2018, 11:30 a.m. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Mary Cybulsk—© 2019 FOCUS FEATURES LLC AND STORYTELLER DISTRIBUTION CO., LLC. Bilott used to be on the other side. Dr. Philippe Grandjean, a professor of environmental health at Harvard, conducted a study that appeared to suggest that babies exposed to PFAS could suffer impaired immune-system development. Learn more from Food & Water Watch: These Chemicals Are Forever: Water Contamination from PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS. He finds the lack of regulatory action by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) particularly infuriating. Then a lawyer named Robert Bilott uncovered everything. And if it sounds familiar, it should. The book details Douglas’ involvement in the DuPont case and his role as lead trial counsel. Mark Ruffalo stars as Robt Bilott in Todd Haynes' 'Dark Waters.'. In February, those defendants filed a joint motion to dismiss, which the court denied in September, allowing the case to proceed. For a lot of people, their long-term health didn’t matter so much if they couldn’t find work. As is the case with PFOA, studies link PFAS exposure to a range of human health problems, including a suppression of the human immune system, liver dysfunction, and adverse birth outcomes. Subscribe for just 99¢. You can unsubscribe at any time. The companies have denied liability and sought unsuccessfully to have the complaint dismissed. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2021 TIME USA, LLC. (“Safety, health and protecting the planet are core values at DuPont,” the company told me in an email. The chemicals have been used since the 1940s in a range of products such as non-stick cookware, stain-repellents, food packaging, firefighting foam and other products. Powerful corporations are fighting to protect the use of these profitable chemical compounds, Bilott says, and US regulators are doing next to nothing to stop them. I’m going to continue doing what I can elevating that awareness.”, Carey Gillam is a journalist and author and a public interest researcher for US Right to Know, a not-for-profit food industry research group. Twenty years later, people today are still fighting and still getting diagnosed with cancer, Bilott said. He is not asking for money damages for individuals, but rather for the establishment of an independent scientific panel to study and confirm the health effects of PFAS exposures so that people can be informed about the risks they face. Vital Records Office 313 North Figueroa Street Room Lobby-1 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Open Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (213) 240-7812 (births) (213) 240-7816 (deaths) Email: VRO@ph.lacounty.gov. “We also have announced a series of commitments around our limited use of PFAS, including the [sic] eliminating the use of all PFAS-based firefighting foams from our facilities and granting royalty-free licenses to those seeking to use innovative PFAS remediation technologies.” DuPont also questioned the veracity of unspecified events depicted in the Dark Waters film. Rob Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years. That study found links between PFOA and high cholesterol, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, high blood pressure, pregnancy-induced hypertension and thyroid disease. “If [affected] communities had been forced to sit back and wait for action they’d still be exposed every day. “We all know about Flint, Michigan – one chemical, in one water supply. DuPont’s own lawyers and scientists raised concerns about the local community’s exposure to PFOA, Bilott told me. “Unfortunately what we saw was decisions made for business purposes to continue using the chemical, releasing it, and exposing people to it,” Bilott says. Rocky Mount Police are investigating two homicides that happened just minutes apart in … According to Bilott, we face a “unique health threat” from a class of industrial chemicals that most Americans have never heard of. His work led to DuPont and other manufacturers phasing out the use of PFOA in the US, though similar replacement chemicals have prompted fresh concerns. For scientists like Dr. Grandjean, there just isn’t enough information to know how short chain PFASs interact in the body, or if they’re safe. Read more 2021 Salary Guide Get current compensation data and learn about emerging employment trends to help you hire new talent or land your next job. Few would have begrudged Bilott a few years to rest on his laurels and enjoy the royalties from his new book, aptly titled “Exposure,” before embarking on what will inevitably be a long and arduous series of proceedings. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our. He is currently pursuing a new lawsuit against chemical manufacturers 3M, DuPont and DuPont spinoff Chemours. In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, we hear how he took on international chemical juggernaut DuPont in the name of justice, … For years, DuPont knew about Teflon’s threats to human health, but didn’t tell the public. Inflamed by that injustice, and the complicity of local authorities, the lawyer risks his career as he embarks on a decades-long legal siege of one of America’s most powerful corporations. "It's being found in drinking water all over the country," Bilott said. The Todd Haynes-directed movie Dark Waters, now playing in theaters, tells the story of how the lawyer, played by Mark Ruffalo, switched allegiances. But the chemical used to make it was toxic. Mark Ruffalo plays corporate lawyer Robert Bilott in the 2019 movie, "Dark Waters." Mark Ruffalo produced and starred in the 2019 film about local attorney Robert Bilott's case against the chemical manufacturing company DuPont. She is a Guardian US columnist, ‘We notified the EPA 18 years ago that PFOA in drinking water presented a public health threat, and in 2019 there are. Decades later, the first generation of these water-, grease-, and stain-resistant chemicals – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – have been largely phased-out in the United States and much of the rest of the world as well. Moritz graduate Robert Bilott was recently interviewed by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about his ongoing battle against DuPont and the upcoming film that depicts that battle, starring Mark Ruffalo. Robert Bilott is no stranger to playing the long game. Rob Bilott, a corporate lawyer-turned-environmental crusader, doesn’t much care if he’s made enemies over the years. Books By Robert Bilott All ... 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. Robert Bilotta Net Worth 2021:$11-$15 Million USD Introduction. In a statement, DuPont defended its safety and environmental record, and said that it does not produce PFAS chemicals, though it does use them. Robert Bilott (born August 2, 1965) is an American environmental attorney from Cincinnati, Ohio. His source of fame was when he filed a case against DuPont in 1999. “If we can’t get where we need to go to protect people through our regulatory channels, through our legislative process, then unfortunately what we have left is our legal process,” says Bilott. View Robert Bilott’s profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional community. “These companies are going to sit back and say, we’re entitled to…use you as guinea pigs, yet those of you who are exposed are somehow the ones who are going to have to prove what these [chemicals] do to you.”, Some scientists are particularly worried by the potential health effects of those less-studied PFAS chemicals. More from Robert Half. Robert Bilott ’90 featured on CNN with Mark Ruffalo discussing battle with DuPont, upcoming film Dark Waters. These are the same class of chemicals that Robert Bilott began fighting more than 20 years ago. ROBERT BILOTT: [played by Mark Ruffalo] This farm is like a graveyard. The next legal step is for the court to decide whether the lawsuit will be permitted to go forward on behalf of a nationwide class. In addition to his personality, Dark Waters ' portrayal of the physical toll the decades-spanning legal battle took on Robert's health is also fairly accurate. And now, Robert Bilott's story is the focus of the film Dark Waters, in theaters on November 22. Robert has 2 jobs listed on their profile. A local school community is pulling together to help each other out during challenging times. DuPont dumped the byproducts of Teflon into landfills and rivers, poisoning communities in West Virginia, where Teflon was made. Blair Raughley / … The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, which has included DuPont executives among its leadership team in recent years, claims, in a website created specifically to discredit Dark Waters, that “activists” are “cherry-picking” information in an effort to “deceive the public, threaten our jobs, and destroy our way of life”. Department of Public Health County of Los Angeles Email: DCA@ph.lacounty.gov. Robert Bilott, a Cincinnati attorney who took on DuPont for contaminating water with toxic forever chemicals, is portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in “Dark Waters,” which premiered here last week. Thanks in part to his work, and to journalists, scientists and activists who have brought attention to the PFAS problem, action to protect public health is spreading. He was born on 2 August 1965. You have 1 free article left. In recent years, studies have correlated long-term exposure to PFOA with a number of illnesses, including some types of cancer. When regulators fail to regulate, and lawmakers align with corporate interests, consumers have nowhere else to go. In a follow-up case in 2017, Bilott achieved a multimillion-dollar settlement of thousands of personal injury claims against DuPont. Bilott’s newest lawsuit, as with his prior cases, alleges that these companies knew for decades that PFAS chemicals, specifically PFOA, could be linked to serious health problems, and that they still assured the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other U.S. government regulators that PFAS exposures were harmless. The inspiration for Mark Ruffalo’s character in the film Dark Waters, Rob Bilott believes the battle to protect polluted communities is far from over, Last modified on Sun 29 Dec 2019 04.09 EST. Bilott achieved a class-action settlement with DuPont in 2004, part of which paid for a six-year health study. The class of chemicals has broadly been linked to immune system disruption, while PFOA specifically has been found to be associated with cancers and other diseases. Last year United Nations experts called for the phasing out of certain PFAS. As seen in the film, Billot did begin to experience strange symptoms in 2010 similar to the stroke-like attack Mark Ruffalo reenacts. […] All Rights Reserved. Notably, he is insisting that the companies making the chemicals pay for the independent scientific work, not US taxpayers. DuPont and 3M introduced the commercial world to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the 1950s. This is your last free article. The logic of Bilott’s new suit is to force chemical companies to pay to find answers. He has spent the last two decades advocating for people in West Virginia and Ohio whose water was contaminated with one of these toxins, a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. He works, at first, on Tennant’s behalf, then pursues a class action suit representing around 70,000 people living near a chemical plant that allegedly contaminated drinking water with PFOA, a toxic chemical used in the production of Teflon. “When I looked at those data it was mind-boggling.”, According to Bilott’s complaint, when his lawsuit’s defendants were asked by the EPA and other agencies to stop producing materials with PFOA, they switched to new “short chain” PFAS molecules.