Brenda Hampton has had two heart attacks, a stroke, and kidney failure. Now, her story is featured in a new book on so-called “forever chemicals.”

“I know I’m facing death,” Hampton said. “No one knows the time of the hour when you’re going to go. But I know that these chemicals are deadly. And there is really nothing that man can do.”

The founder of Concerned Citizens of North Alabama, Hampton lives in Lawrence County and noticed a pattern of health issues in her community, which sits on the Tennessee River along with numerous industrial plants.

Hampton connected her and her neighbors’ health issues to PFAS contamination in their drinking water. She’s become a community advocate, trying to improve water quality while also helping people with their medical needs.

Her story is one of four in a new book on PFAS, out this week from Island Press. It’s called “Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America.”

Those forever chemicals the book refers to are PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) – a group of chemicals used in a wide variety of everyday items, including nonstick pans and firefighting foam. They’re known for their stain-resistant and waterproof qualities.

Alarm has grown in recent years about PFAS’ ability to persist in the environment, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals,” as well as their ubiquity. Nearly all Americans have PFAS in their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Studies have shown that even in small amounts, PFAS can increase the risk of cancer, reproductive issues, or other negative health effects.

In the book, co-authors Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin follow Hampton and three other people dealing with PFAS exposure in their communities. Udasin, an environmental journalist with The Hill, told AL.com that each of the four stories represents different ways people are exposed to PFAS in the U.S.

“Our idea was to take four different communities around the country that each have a unique type of PFAS problem. Unique among each other, but not unique nationwide,” Udasin said.

Hampton’s story is meant to represent exposure to PFAS via industrial contamination. Lawrence County is adjacent to the State Docks area outside of Decatur, home to 3M and other industrial plants.

In 2022, 3M pledged to halt production of PFAS at all of their facilities, including the plant in Decatur, by this year. Last year, a federal court approved a settlement in which the company agreed to pay more than $10 billion to public water systems throughout the country to address PFAS contamination.

When Hampton, a former paralegal, first became sick, her doctors told her it was because she had been exposed to industrial toxins. Puzzled, she eventually realized she had been exposed through her drinking water.

She then noticed a pattern of people in her community experiencing kidney issues, cancer and other health issues. Working with a local TV station, she said they were able to link people’s health issues to PFAS contamination from their water.

“I keep saying that the chemicals are going to get the best of me,” Hampton said. “I made a promise to God when I was sick, down for 18 months, and I had smaller children at that time: ‘God, if you would help me to help these people and give me back my strength, I would do all that I can to help people.‘”

Since 2015, Hampton has advocated for her community, and it’s paid off: in 2021, the West Morgan East Lawrence Water Authority opened its reverse osmosis plant, meant to dramatically improve the water quality in Lawrence County.

She’s also gained recognition, not just throughout the state but in the country: she speaks at conferences, and in 2019 she was one of Alabama Media Group’s Women Who Shape the State.

Like the others in the book, Hampton’s story is one of “grassroots” action, Udasin said. While the government response varies from state to state, it’s frequently been community activists that have stepped in to try and solve the problem of PFAS exposure.

“They’re not politicians that are driving any action against this,” Udasin said. “These are regular people who raised their voices and brought to light a problem in their community. And that was something that was just repeated time and time again.”

Hampton said she believes the tide is turning on PFAS.

“In making people aware in the states, all across the country, any state that has had any type of industry, you’re more than likely had some PFAS contamination…and your water is contaminated,” Hampton said. “I’m glad to see this in my lifetime and I’m hoping that after I’m gone, it [would] be even more improvement to it.”