These Chemicals Are Hurting Us. Why Aren’t We Regulating Them?

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They’ve been found in our milk, our eggs, our water supply and our bodies.

In this audio essay, the environmental activist Erin Brockovich makes the case for better regulation of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contaminating our world. PFAS exposure has been associated with fertility issues and developmental delays in children. And while lawsuits have been filed against some of the biggest manufacturers of PFAS, Ms. Brockovich says those suits aren’t the only — or even the best — solution.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Credit…Illustration by The New York Times; photograph by Grace Cary/Getty

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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Alison Bruzek and Derek Arthur. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Original music by Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud, Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

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