--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're talking about a chemical that's out…" description: "\"We're talking about a chemical that's out there. Not just on one farm in West Virginia, not even just in the public water of an entire community there,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/robert-bilott-28335_blood_we-re-talking-about-a-chemical-that-s-ou_2938342.jpg" --- # We're talking about a chemical that's out there. Not just… ![“We're talking about a chemical that's out there. Not just on one farm in West Virginia, not even just in the public water of an entire community there, but it's now in water all over the country, all over the planet, in the blood of virtually every living thing.” quote by Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/robert-bilott-28335_blood_we-re-talking-about-a-chemical-that-s-ou_2938342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/robert-bilott-28335_blood_we-re-talking-about-a-chemical-that-s-ou_2938342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b5/robert-bilott-28335_blood_we-re-talking-about-a-chemical-that-s-ou_2938342.jpg) > “We're talking about a chemical that's out there. Not just on one farm in West Virginia, not even just in the public water of an entire community there, but it's now in water all over the country, all over the planet, in the blood of virtually every living thing.” [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A warning about pervasive environmental contamination affecting water and human health worldwide. **In simple terms:** Pollution spreads far beyond its source, contaminating water and people. Key Takeaway Advocate for stricter environmental regulation. Themes environment pollution public health responsibility Mood concerned urgent Type activist informative When to use this quote - community water testing - legislative lobbying - public awareness campaigns Key Concepts toxicology policy activism Questions to Reflect On - What steps can communities take to detect contaminants? - How can individuals reduce exposure? A Different Perspective Complex solutions require political will and funding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [West virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-virginia/) ## Related quotes > [I drink tons of water, because with the entire running around you can get dehydrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-tookes/i-drink-tons-of-water-because-with-the-entire-running-around-you-can/) [Jasmine Tookes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-tookes/) > [Investing for the poor requires participation from the entire community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/investing-for-the-poor-requires-participation-from-the-entire/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Efforts following 9/11 were important. They set a tone. They reminded those who might be tempted to take out their anger on an entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-acosta/efforts-following-9-11-were-important-they-set-a-tone-they-reminded/) [Alexander Acosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-acosta/) > [An enlightened person raises the level of the consciousness of the entire community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-enlightened-person-raises-the-level-of-the-consciousness-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I only laid the cobbles for the streets of Bordertown; it took all of us, an entire community, to bring the city to life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-only-laid-the-cobbles-for-the-streets-of-bordertown-it-took-all-of/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [I'm here to serve the entire community. It doesn't matter if you voted for me or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hill/i-m-here-to-serve-the-entire-community-it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-voted/) [Katie Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hill/) > [Building a startup community is not a zero-sum game in which there are winners and losers: if everyone engages, they and the entire community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/building-a-startup-community-is-not-a-zero-sum-game-in-which-there/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [I have always had deep concerns about anyone's philosophy being imposed on the entire community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-ogilvie/i-have-always-had-deep-concerns-about-anyone-s-philosophy-being/) [Kelvin Ogilvie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-ogilvie/) > [Big changes like creating nutritious school food and adjusting the eating habits of children takes an organized effort from an entire community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-rosenthal/big-changes-like-creating-nutritious-school-food-and-adjusting-the/) [Joshua Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-rosenthal/) > [And in my world, when I was dealing with this for our chemical company clients, you had lists of regulated hazardous materials, and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/and-in-my-world-when-i-was-dealing-with-this-for-our-chemical-company/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I had spent the prior eight years working at my firm primarily representing big chemical companies, helping them comply with all the different state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/i-had-spent-the-prior-eight-years-working-at-my-firm-primarily/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I was representing our chemical company clients, and I would routinely talk with or meet with the DuPont attorneys, would be there representing DuPont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/i-was-representing-our-chemical-company-clients-and-i-would-routinely/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [Well, you know, my grandmother actually grew up, you know, her whole family, my mom's family outside of Parkersburg, West Virginia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/well-you-know-my-grandmother-actually-grew-up-you-know-her-whole/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I wanted to pursue chemical engineering because I thought it was the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-ambani/i-wanted-to-pursue-chemical-engineering-because-i-thought-it-was-the/) [Mukesh Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukesh-ambani/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Robert Bilott > [You know, really, it's not easy taking a 20 year story and condensing it into two hours. But they did a fantastic job of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/you-know-really-it-s-not-easy-taking-a-20-year-story-and-condensing/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [There are certain systems that I think are not working well - that's the regulatory system, the whole system of how we regulate chemicals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/there-are-certain-systems-that-i-think-are-not-working-well-that-s/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I had spent the prior eight years working at my firm primarily representing big chemical companies, helping them comply with all the different state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/i-had-spent-the-prior-eight-years-working-at-my-firm-primarily/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [Well, you know, my grandmother actually grew up, you know, her whole family, my mom's family outside of Parkersburg, West Virginia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/well-you-know-my-grandmother-actually-grew-up-you-know-her-whole/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [My family said that a big firm was where you'd get the most opportunities. I knew nobody who had ever worked at a firm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/my-family-said-that-a-big-firm-was-where-you-d-get-the-most/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [And in my world, when I was dealing with this for our chemical company clients, you had lists of regulated hazardous materials, and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/and-in-my-world-when-i-was-dealing-with-this-for-our-chemical-company/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [We found out that we were dealing with a completely unregulated chemical, this chemical PFOA. This was a chemical that was a completely manmade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/we-found-out-that-we-were-dealing-with-a-completely-unregulated/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [You know, I started with the law firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister in Cincinnati back in 1990.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/you-know-i-started-with-the-law-firm-of-taft-stettinius-hollister-in/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [There was pressure on the EPA to come out with a drinking water guideline, which it did in 2016. And when that guideline came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/there-was-pressure-on-the-epa-to-come-out-with-a-drinking-water/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [If we can't get where we need to go to protect people through our regulatory channels, through our legislative process, then unfortunately what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/if-we-can-t-get-where-we-need-to-go-to-protect-people-through-our/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [We notified the EPA 18 years ago that PFOA in drinking water presented a public health threat, and in 2019 there are still no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/we-notified-the-epa-18-years-ago-that-pfoa-in-drinking-water/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [There's got to be a point in time where the reality comes home and people realize, here are the facts, and this is either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/there-s-got-to-be-a-point-in-time-where-the-reality-comes-home-and/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I was representing our chemical company clients, and I would routinely talk with or meet with the DuPont attorneys, would be there representing DuPont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/i-was-representing-our-chemical-company-clients-and-i-would-routinely/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I'm not stupid, and the people around me aren't stupid. You can't ignore the economic realities of the ways that business is run and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/i-m-not-stupid-and-the-people-around-me-aren-t-stupid-you-can-t/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [People were getting sick. It seemed, at least to me when I started looking at the information, looking at the documents, that this was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/people-were-getting-sick-it-seemed-at-least-to-me-when-i-started/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) [Explore all 19 Robert Bilott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) ## More Blood quotes > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. 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But that didn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/what-about-you-three-where-are-you-going-even-before-halt-answered/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [A day without blood is like a day without sunshine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/a-day-without-blood-is-like-a-day-without-sunshine/) [R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. 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