Woman launches battle for justice after uncovering toxic threat in local community: 'I made a promise to God when I was sick'
When Brenda Hampton suffered two heart attacks, a stroke, and kidney failure linked to forever chemicals in her drinking water, she decided to become a community advocate for others impacted by the harmful chemicals.
As AL.com reported, Hampton noticed that her neighbors were also dealing with similar health problems and said she traced them to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, in their water supplies. Their community is adjacent to the Tennessee River, where several industrial plants — including 3M — are located.
Hampton founded the Concerned Citizens of North Alabama, an advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness about the health effects of drinking PFAS-contaminated water. She's also one of four people featured in a newly released book on PFAS called "Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America."
PFAS have been found in drinking water across the United States, with one study finding that at least 45% of the nation's tap water could be contaminated with the chemicals.
"Our idea was to take four different communities around the country that each have a unique type of PFAS problem. Unique among each other, but not unique nationwide," one of the book's co-authors, Sharon Udasin, told the news outlet.
Hampton told AL.com that she kept herself going with the goal of saving others.
"I keep saying that the chemicals are going to get the best of me," Hampton said. "I made a promise to God when I was sick, down for 18 months, and I had smaller children at that time: 'God, if you would help me to help these people and give me back my strength, I would do all that I can to help people.'"
As Hampton explained, PFAS have been linked to serious health issues, including increased risk of cancers, immune system problems, respiratory illnesses, and liver damage, among others. They can even lead to death in some cases, according to research. Because PFAS don't break down easily in the environment or our bodies, they can have far-reaching impacts, especially since they're used in so many household products — including nonstick pans and food packaging.
PFAS can get into drinking water from industrial plants, firefighting foams, and leaching from landfills, which is concerning for anyone who lives nearby.
AL.com reported that Hampton's advocacy work has paid off, with a reverse osmosis plant opening in Lawrence County in 2021 that will improve the water quality. She's also spoken at conferences nationwide to raise awareness about the chemicals.
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New Hampshire lawmakers recently banned PFAS in ski, board, and boat waxes, and France announced the chemicals would be prohibited in clothing textiles and cosmetics starting next year.
Scientists have also made notable progress on removing PFAS from drinking water with high-tech water filters and activated carbon.
Consumers can avoid the harmful chemicals by using stainless steel or cast iron cookware, opting for clean beauty products such as Walmart's line of PFAS-free makeup, and natural cleaning products like good old-fashioned baking soda and vinegar.
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They also also toxic, even in small quantities. They have been used in manufacturing and consumer products since the 1940s. 'We've used them so extensively, really since the 1940s they found our way in so many different consumer products," Sims explains. "For example, in your waterproof coat, anything waterproofing, school children's clothing, anything stain resistant. PFAs have some desirable properties, and are so good at what they do in terms of that heat resistance, that water and oil resistance, stain resistance, durability, often a lot of the things that makes it very useful in products. 'Because they're so persistent, they obviously found their way into the environment, into our food, into our water. They are also used in jet engines, medical devices, refrigeration systems, the construction industry and electrical devices. In the environment, they can last for extremely long periods: hundreds or even thousands of years. They also accumulate in human bodies. 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The Environmental Protection Agency in 2023 set in motion the first federal limits on PFAS in drinking water, which would have mandated municipalities to filter out the chemicals. But in May, under the Trump administration, the agency said it is looking to delay or roll back the Biden administration standards. While environmental and health advocates balked at the shift, some industry groups have said postponements—from a 2029 to a 2031 deadline—would help with preparations. The loosening of Biden-era limits on forever chemicals is surprising given that EPA administrator Lee Zeldin previously broke with many Republicans to support a bill that would have reduced the use of PFAS contamination. The EPA aims to unwind limits on four kinds of PFAS, meaning that only those known as PFOA and PFOS would be regulated going forward. Aside from drinking water, PFAS can also be found in a range of consumer products from food packaging to textiles and cosmetics. 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The carbon has to be replaced once it has reached its absorption capacity and then collected by a vendor who can perform a chemical removal process so the carbon could be reused in the tanks. Activated carbon 'is one of the most widely used and effective methods for treating PFAS' said Vasilis Vasiliou, chair of the environmental health sciences department at Yale. But it is 'not a universal solution and has important limitations depending on the PFAS type and treatment goals,' he said. The pros are that it is extensively studied and regulated for drinking water treatment plants, but the cons are that the chemicals are captured rather than broken down, so there is a future contamination risk during disposal. The company worked to make the technology affordable so that communities across the U.S. would be able to invest in it, said Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia's CEO. 'We're not here to be the luxury goods of water treatment,' Brachlianoff said. 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'Making water safer begins with ending the unnecessary use of PFAS and holding polluters accountable for cleanup.' The EPA has alluded to holding polluters accountable, but hasn't provided further details at this time. Write to Clara Hudson at
