Safe to Drink
NHPR
A New Hampshire town finds out their water has been contaminated by a chemical. Their most basic question — whether the water is safe to drink — doesn’t have a clear answer. Nobody seems to know much about this so-called forever chemical, which is weird because… this has all happened before.
From the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, Safe to Drink is a four-part series about the water contamination story that keeps repeating in town after town — and about the people who fought for answers through a maze of chemistry, regulations, and illnesses.
From the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, Safe to Drink is a four-part series about the water contamination story that keeps repeating in town after town — and about the people who fought for answers through a maze of chemistry, regulations, and illnesses.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 31, 2026 • 1min
A Special Announcement
How do communities come together to face environmental threats, like PFAS chemicals? Join us for NHPR's annual Climate Summit. Host Mara Hoplamazian has the scoop on what you can expect at the event. For tickets and more information, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 29, 2026 • 46min
4: The neighborly thing to do
When we’ve been exposed to something that could harm us, what are we supposed to do — as regulators, as doctors, as company executives, or as people just trying to live our lives? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 29, 2026 • 50min
3: A gray world
Former workers at Saint-Gobain’s New Hampshire plant share what they did — and didn’t — know about PFOA and its potential health effects. And how the chemical industry has worked to sow doubt to its own benefit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 29, 2026 • 47min
2: A flash of genius
Michael Hickey, a Hoosick Falls community member and insurance underwriter who probed local water after his father’s death. He explains secretly sampling wells, finding high PFOA levels, and pushing for testing and treatment. The conversation traces the chemical’s origins, regulatory gaps, legal fallout, and how one town’s discovery spurred testing elsewhere.
Jan 29, 2026 • 33min
1: You don’t know about this?
Ben Pierce, a Merrimack resident whose household found tap water contaminated with PFOA. He recounts finding bottled-water deliveries and how daily life shifted after the discovery. Conversations cover the town alert, confusing safety guidance, the suspected Saint-Gobain source, private well testing, and rising local activism and fear.
Dec 13, 2025 • 3min
Trailer: Safe to Drink
A New Hampshire town finds out their water has been contaminated by a chemical. Their most basic question — whether the water is safe to drink — doesn’t have a clear answer. Nobody seems to know much about this so-called forever chemical, which is weird because… this has all happened before.
From the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, “Safe to Drink” is a four-part series about the water contamination story that keeps repeating in town after town — and about the people who fought for answers through a maze of chemistry, regulations, and illnesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
