On Feb. 27, Taft partner Rob Bilott and actor Mark Ruffalo attended the U.S. Premiere of “How to Poison a Planet” at the SVA Theater in Manhattan.

“How to Poison a Planet” investigates how the use of a product as seemingly harmless as firefighting foam, has resulted in the contamination of communities all over the world with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.” Spanning from the heart of New York City to communities in Minnesota and a small First Nations community in Australia, the film exposes one of the most widespread environmental disasters in human history.

Bilott commented: “We have been working for decades to uncover and reveal to the world what the manufacturers of these dangerous man-made chemicals have known about the serious harm these toxins cause to human health and the environment, including the poisoning of the blood of almost every human on earth. This film reveals critical aspects of this story that had previously been covered up and withheld from the public.”

After the screening, writer Nathaniel Rich moderated a Q&A with Ruffalo, who starred in Dark Waters, a 2019 film about Bilott’s discovery and fight against PFAS, Bilott, his co-counsels Gary Douglas and Ned McWilliams, and the “How to Poison a Planet” director Katrina McGowan. Rich authored the feature article on Bilott’s work that appeared on the cover of the New York Times Magazine in 2016, titled, “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare.”

Bilott gained international prominence in connection with uncovering and disclosing the world-wide impact of environmental contamination by the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances), particularly PFOA and PFOS. To date, Bilott has secured billions of dollars for a wide array of firm clients adversely impacted by PFAS contamination, including through key leadership positions in the nation’s first class action, personal injury, medical monitoring, and multi-district litigations, and jury trials involving PFAS. Bilott’s story is also told in his book, “Exposure:  Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont,” first released in 2019 and since translated into several languages.

“How to Poison a Planet” has already won the Walkley Award for best documentary. To host a screening, click here.

For more information about Taft’s PFAS capabilities, click here. For information about the film or Rob Bilott please contact Brian Kiefer.