So-called forever chemicals are both harmful to our health and our everywhere.

William Brangham profiles a new book that tells the story of how these extremely durable

chemicals came to be so ubiquitous through the eyes of one small community in upstate New York

that decided to fight for some measure of justice.

And this is him and his buddies?

Yeah, that was on one of the golf trips.

John Ersel Hickey was a fixture in Hoosick Falls, a once thriving industrial town in

northeastern, upstate New York, near the Vermont border.

He raised a family, worked at the local manufacturing plant.

This is the bus he drove?

One of them, yeah.

And he drove a school bus.

He did both jobs for 32 years.

He was only retired for seven months before he passed away from a kidney.

Seven months.

Seven months.

Seven months fully retired before he passed.

And I had a tough time.

Ersel died from kidney cancer.

He wasn't a smoker or a drinker, and something just didn't sit right with his son, Michael.

A year after, you know, a local teacher got sick and she passed away in her 50s, and then,

you know, the wheels started turning my head of, you know, why do we seem to have all these

...