Communities Grapple With Exposure to “Forever Chemicals”
Toxic chemicals known as PFAS pollute the water at more than 2,000 sites across the U.S.—and reside in the bodies of most Americans. How do residents cope with contamination?
Thomas W. Pearson
Thomas W. Pearson is a cultural anthropologist who teaches at the University of Wisconsin, Stout. Much of his writing has focused on environmental activism in Central America and the United States, and he is the author of When the Hills Are Gone: Frac Sand Mining and the Struggle for Community. Pearson’s research on community responses to PFAS contamination is supported by a Wenner-Gren Foundation grant (2020–2021). In recent years, he has ventured into the world of disability studies. Follow him on Twitter @AnthroPearson.
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A Daughter’s Disability and a Father’s Awakening
When an anthropologist’s baby was diagnosed with Down syndrome, he was overwhelmed by emotional upheaval. Then, everything changed.
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How Fracking’s Appetite for Sand Is Devouring Rural Communities
Small towns in western Wisconsin are being divided by a little-known mining boom. An anthropologist who lives in the region set out to understand why.