This is Civics 101 from NHPR. I'm Nick Capadice. One thing you'll hear us say on the show often is that

civics isn't just a concept. It's not just part of your social studies curriculum. Civics is how we

live our lives. What drives us to act when something is wrong in our communities? What drives us to vote, to protest, to show up municipal meetings, and speak directly to your government?

That's why we're bringing you this story today. It is the first episode of a new podcast from NHPR's document team called Safe to Drink.

All four episodes are available right now,

and we've put a link to the series in the show notes if you want to hear more.

The podcast is about PFAS chemicals. These chemicals are everywhere. They're hard to understand

and certainly hard to grapple with when you find out that you or your family or your whole neighborhood may have been exposed to what people call forever chemicals in your drinking water.

Imagine how you'd react.

Would you ask questions?

Would you take action?

Would you show up and speak up?

If you would, that's civics.

And there are people in the story who did just that.

Let's dive in.

Ben Pierce was driving home.

He'd just dropped his kid off at daycare.

And he noticed something kind of odd.

I remember coming down High Range Road and passing one of the neighbor's houses up on

high range road and they were getting a water delivery.

Like cases and cases of bottled water.

The kind of delivery you'd see at a convenience store.

...