Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America by Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin is a nonfiction book about how so-called forever chemicals have changed the lives of virtually all Americans and most of the world's citizens. The authors focused on 4 American towns where chemicals called PFAS have had devastating and irreversible effects on their citizens. The chemicals have been linked to numerous cancers and other deadly illnesses. The authors tell us how these chemicals came to be and how they ended up leaching into our drinking water and poisoning many of us. (97% of Americans have traces of PFAS in our blood.) How long did the manufacturers of these chemicals know about the risks, and what did they do to cover it up? If you are at all concerned about the environment, your health, and/or corporate greed, I suggest you read this book. I listened to it on audio and enjoyed Rebecca Stern's narration.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a review copy of this audiobook.

If this book has one lesson, it is: test your drinking water. Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin do an amazing job of not just covering some of the history of PFAS and other similar "forever" chemical but also telling the stories of so many whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed as a result of these chemicals. Unfortunately, they also lay out all of the ways that companies evade series consequences, and this is only more disheartening as any regulations that might help protect people from these and other chemicals are all on the chopping block. The authors try to give the reader some hope that there are actions we can take, and I can believe that change might be possible on a hyperlocal level. However, federal changes could render local changes moot through funding/grant cuts, etc.

In the meantime, it is probably advisable to avoid PFAS of any kind as much as possible. Unfortunately, it seems to be everywhere and in everything. and it has been found that short-chain PFAS can evade filters. They end by mentioning that some chemicals might even become PFAS once introduced into the environment, but I highly doubt anyone will investigate this further.

Despite how depressing and disheartening this book is to read, being educated about these chemicals and developing empathy for those effected most is important, and I cannot recommend this audiobook enough. The narrator is matter-of-fact and crystal clear while also making real the people the authors have interviewed.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing a pre-publication copy of this audiobook for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

The true story behind “forever” chemicals in our water, air, and food, and their devastating long-term effects. Well researched and presented. Well-narrated audiobook.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook #PoisoningtheWell for review purposes. Currently available.

Poisoning The Well by Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin, when a scientist at Dupont chemicals accidentally created PFAS, they started using it from everything from mascara, paint to antifreeze and so much more. No matter what walk of life you walk down you will come into contact with these chemicals. 97% of Americans have in their bloodstream although in the beginning they didn’t know the danger of these chemicals once they found out they still did not care. You would think the government would step in after whole towns were degradaded by the cancers and other illnesses this chemical causes but instead it was a grassroots effort that still goes on today. The book mainly focuses on Brenda Hampton but also goes around the country to Maine Colorado in anywhere that’s a hotspot for PFAS poisoning. Brenda lives in an Alabama town wrecked by this chemical and has almost left her town a modern day ghost town with homes that whole families lived in at one time but now or vacant. throughout the book the authors share small victories they get, that only slightly chips away at the mammoth issue PFAS is causing in America. I think ignorance has caused this problem to become as big as it is along with shady dumping practices not being transparent and good old boy business practices. If you’re reading this you have been warned don’t wait until your neighborhood looks like Brenda’s. this is a quick interesting educational read although I could’ve done without all the reports verbatim in the book. Maybe that is interesting to some to me it just made my eyes glaze over but having said that those are few and far between and I’m sure apropos to the story which was very interesting. I don’t want to end this review without mentioning the great narrator Rachel Stern, who had a great voice for the topic and did an awesome job.#NetGalley, #DreamscapeMedia, #TheBlindReviewersHonestReview, #SharonUdasin,#RachelFrazin,#PoisoningTheWell, #RachelStern,

Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin have written a fascinating, well-researched, and timely book in Poisoning the Well. Using the story of four communities suffering the effects of PFAs (aka forever chemicals) Udasin/Frazin tell us how we got here, how our government failed to act, and the real, human cost of our failures. I love when a well-reported story uses a human lens and the authors do that exceptionally well in Poisoning the Well.

Perfect for fans of Dark Waters, Poisoning the Well is a haunting but vital story and I really enjoyed the audio production. I would highly recommend the audiobook to other readers.