WFPL: ‘Dark Waters’ Puts Contaminants Saga for Ohio River on Big Screen
UC scientist warns against dangers of PFOA
Louisville, Kentucky public radio station WFPL looks at the dangers of the drinking water contaminate, perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, in the wake of the Hollywood film “Dark Waters.” The environmental thrillerdepicts the real-life story of the 20-year battle waged by Cincinnati attorney Rob Bilott against chemical giant DuPont. Bilott, played by actor Mark Ruffalo, as a young corporate defense lawyer living in Cincinnati. His grandmother, who lives in Parkersburg, West Virginia, gives his phone number to local farmer, Earl Tennant. Tennant lives next to a landfill.
WFPL interviewed Susan Pinney, professor in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s Department of Environmental Health, about the effects of PFOA and its possible presence in the drinking water of communities across the nation. One group estimates up to 110 million Americans drink water with dangerous levels of contaminants. Pinney said granular activated carbon filtration systems need to be installed in water treatment facilities to remove the PFOA threat from drinking water. “To me where we’re at right now, we’re soon going to find that there are a whole lot more communities with exposed people than anyone thought,” said Pinney.
Other media in Greater Cincinnati also covered the tie between 'Dark Waters' and Pinney's research.
Listen to the WFPL interview online
Read a Dayton Daily News interview online
Related Stories
Is a colonoscopy painful?
May 13, 2026
The University of Cincinnati's Susan Kais, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the College of Medicine and UC Health gastroenterologist, recently appeared on the ARC Cincinnati morning program on Local 12/WKRC-TV to answer common questions from viewers about colonoscopies and to dispel myths.
University of Cincinnati graduate programs rise in national rankings across high-demand fields
May 13, 2026
University of Cincinnati graduate programs climbed in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, led by strong gains in workforce-focused fields including public health, clinical psychology and business.
UC achieves first-in-world remission of aggressive pituitary tumor with novel immunotherapy
May 13, 2026
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute’s Brain Tumor Center have been confirmed as the first in the world to achieve complete remission of a rare pituitary cancer using a novel immunotherapy treatment. The findings were published in Surgical Neurology International and recently featured in The Cancer Letter.