Litigator and environmental advocate Rob Bilott discusses threat of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’

By Colin Poitras | Yale | February 28, 2023

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"Veteran litigator Rob Bilott has been fighting to raise awareness of the public health threat created by so-called “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS) for over 23 years. His novel and complex class action lawsuits against some of the nation’s largest chemical companies have resulted in over $1 billion in compensation for people impacted by PFAS. Bilott’s story and landmark case against chemical giant DuPont were recounted in his book, “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont,” and served as the inspiration for the 2019 motion picture “Dark Waters,” starring Mark Ruffalo.

In addition to his legal advocacy work, Bilott is a lecturer with the Yale School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. He recently visited Yale to speak to Professor Vasilis Vasiliou’s Toxicology class. “In addition to being an expert in environmental law and the real-life implications of environmental exposure to PFAS, Mr. Bilott serves as a role model for our students in demonstrating the values of perseverance and caring for impacted populations, and the importance of being able to help laypeople understand scientific concepts,” Vasiliou said. “I am proud to have him associated with our department.”