The 13th Step: Introducing Safe to Drink

Podcast: The 13th Step
Host/Producer: New Hampshire Public Radio / Mara Hoplamazian, Jason Moon
Episode Date: February 12, 2026
Episode Title: Introducing: Safe to Drink

Episode Overview

This episode introduces Safe to Drink, a new investigative podcast series from New Hampshire Public Radio. The series delves into the alarming discovery of "forever chemicals" (PFAS, in particular PFOA) in the drinking water of a New Hampshire town, exploring the impact on residents, the ambiguous governmental response, the science (and uncertainty) behind the contaminants, and the implications for communities nationwide. Through personal stories and public records, Safe to Drink examines the confusion, fear, and mobilization sparked by contaminated water, raising broader questions about environmental safety, corporate accountability, and public trust.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery: A Suburban Family’s Shocking Water Delivery

• [02:40] Ben Pierce, a recent arrival in Londonderry, NH, recounts the odd sight of massive pallets of bottled water being delivered to his neighborhood—and then to his own driveway.
  • He describes his confusion: "No explanation, no delivery person. It was just sitting there in the driveway.”
• [04:30] Upon investigation, Ben learns their tap water is unsafe—contaminated by a chemical that can’t be boiled out—forcing a complete shift to bottled water for daily life.
• The abrupt transition leads to everyday challenges—especially for Ben’s young children—now tasked with using bottled water even to brush their teeth.

“I really don't think that day that I realized that it was a life changing event... like you had all the panic but you didn't realize that like as of this date, your whole existence is gonna change.”
— Ben Pierce ([07:25])

2. The Community Responds: Public Meetings & Official Uncertainty

• [08:25] The narrative shifts to neighboring Merrimack (March 2016), where residents had been called to a town hall after PFOA contamination was detected in the local water supply.
• Health officials, including New Hampshire state epidemiologist Dr. Ben Chan, frame PFOA as an “emerging contaminant” found in many everyday products, now present at higher-than-usual levels in Merrimack’s water.
  • Officials list a staggering range of potential health effects—liver changes, cholesterol, hormones, immune issues, birth weight, cancers—but emphasize that the long-term health effects are unclear.

“The long term health effects are really unclear. He says researchers are still studying them... And the answer is, we still don’t know.”
— Dr. Ben Chan ([12:26])

• [14:15] Residents pepper officials with anxious, sometimes desperate questions—about safety for pregnant women, gardening, consuming local fish and animals—only to be met repeatedly with “we don’t know” or “we’re still studying that.”

“Can I drink the water? Can my pregnant patients drink the water?”
— Audience member ([16:25])

• The episode poignantly captures community anguish, exemplified by a widow’s haunting question after her husband’s death from prostate cancer:

“My husband was a big water drinker. Tap water. He liked it room temperature. And my concern is I was the one that gave him that water to drink. I don’t know if I killed my husband.”
— Merrimack Resident ([17:20])

3. The Source: Saint Gobain and Industrial Responsibility

• [18:25] Suspicion falls on a large local factory—Saint Gobain—which uses PFOA in its manufacturing process. The company, however, initially deflects, suggesting a landfill might be responsible.
• Saint Gobain is revealed as a small piece of a sprawling multinational corporation, downplaying its role in the local crisis despite its significance as an employer and user of these chemicals.

4. Citizen Action: Grassroots Organizing, Women’s Leadership, Public Skepticism

• [21:05] Local therapist Lorene Allen becomes a reluctant activist after witnessing dismissive treatment from state officials at public meetings.
  • She describes officials' attitude:
    “A little mansplaining... a little, they were patronizing some of them... there, there, dear, don't worry about it. The men have this under control.”

“Something’s going on here. Something’s going on here.”
— Lorene Allen ([22:22])

• Lorene begins her own research, deep diving into scientific studies and legal documents, and soon rallies other residents—including Wendy Thomas—to demand answers and action.
• Wendy, a mother of six and longtime activist, is shocked by the contamination:

“It never occurred to me that our water would be contaminated. It just never occurred to me.”
— Wendy Thomas ([24:40])

• Together, they question official risk boundaries, organize public meetings, and guide neighbors in private well testing and water filtration—all at significant personal cost.

5. Technical & Political Complexities: Regulation, Science, and Doubt

• The episode explains how PFOA contamination is measured in “parts per trillion,” emphasizing the chemical’s ability to bioaccumulate—leading to long-term health risks.
• There’s confusion over safety standards: at the time, the EPA’s guidelines shifted between 400 and 70 ppt, while Vermont’s standard was 20 ppt. Merrimack’s public water tested at about 30 ppt; some private wells were far higher.
• State messaging remains conflicted—a patchwork of caution, conflicting standards, and reassurances that many residents find unsatisfactory.
• A split emerges in the community: those trusting officials and those, led largely by women, doubting government and industry assurances and pushing for the word “contamination” to be used officially and publicly.

“We were hysterical women. We were fear mongerers. We... were going to drive down the property rates in Merrimack...”
— Lorene Allen ([32:10])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don’t know about this.” — Water delivery driver to Ben Pierce ([05:20])
  The phrase signals both the secrecy and the sudden, bewildering intrusion of public health crisis into private lives.

• “It’s not an Erin Brockovich situation. I continue to drink the water. My wife does, my daughter does, my dogs do okay.” — Town councilor ([35:30])
  Illustrating the tension between official reluctance to alarm and residents’ fears.

• “From where I sit here in the future, there’s something eerie about looking back at this moment, this fight about the contamination, even the word contamination in 2017. Eerie because all of this had already happened before…” — Mara Hoplamazian ([36:05])
  A reflection on how history repeats in similar communities.

Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:40 — Ben Pierce’s first encounter with a massive bottled water delivery
• 07:25 — The realization that this will be life-changing
• 08:25 — Town meeting in Merrimack: PFOA detected
• 12:26 — Dr. Ben Chan: Uncertainties about health impacts
• 14:15–16:25 — Questions from concerned residents; officials repeatedly say “we don’t know”
• 17:20 — Widow’s emotional testimony about her husband’s cancer
• 18:25 — Attention turns to Saint Gobain factory
• 22:22 — Lorene Allen’s suspicions spark activism
• 24:40 — Wendy Thomas expresses disbelief over water contamination
• 32:10 — Gendered backlash against activists
• 35:30 — Councilor downplays risks, “I continue to drink the water…”
• 36:05 — Host reflects on the cyclical nature of these contamination crises

Tone & Style

The episode combines investigative rigor, empathy for affected residents, and a candid, personal tone. Residents’ voices and stories are foregrounded, with an undercurrent of frustration, confusion, and determination. Officials speak in measured, sometimes evasive language; activists and everyday citizens counter with a sense of urgency and moral clarity.

Takeaway

Safe to Drink is a compelling examination of how ordinary families confront the uncomfortable reality of environmental contamination—navigating unclear science, shifting governmental standards, corporate deflection, and their own fears. It’s both a local story and a warning for countless communities facing similar threats, told through the lives and activism of those caught at the center.