Screening, discussion of film on forever chemicals coming to Juneau
Published 5:30 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT), along with the Alaska Just Transition Collective and Citizens for Clear Air, will show a free public film “Revealed: How to Poison a Planet” in Juneau on March 4. The award-winning documentary chronicles the “forever chemical” crisis.
Per and poly-fluoralkyl substances (PFAS) are toxic synthetic chemicals linked with liver damage, immune suppression, kidney and testicular cancer, decreased fertility and increased cholesterol. They are used in household products, food packaging and firefighting foam, although the Alaska Legislature passed SB 67 in 2024 to phase out the use of PFAS in firefighting foam.
“PFAS pose a critical public health and environmental threat,” Pamela Miller, executive director of ACAT, said in a statement to the Empire. “‘How to Poison a Planet’ exposes the corporate and regulatory failures that lead to widespread contamination of communities and water sources.”
“Public policy is necessary at the state level to protect the drinking water of Alaskans,” said Miller, who is also a senior scientist with Alaska Community Action on Toxics.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Elizabeth Paratrovich Hall on March 4, with the film starting at 6.
PFAS has been found in the Juneau airport, Juneau fire and training center, Gustavus airport and 516 other sites across Alaska. Once the chemicals are used at a site, they can spread. PFAS is now found in Juneau’s wetlands and groundwater around the airport, although it has not been found in Juneau’s drinking water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released legal limits for six PFAS chemicals in 2024, but largely reversed the standards in 2025 under the Trump administration.
ACAT will hold a rally at 11 a.m. on March 5 at the Capitol Steps in support of House Bill 235 and Senate Bill 219, which would institute drinking water standards across Alaska consistent with the 2024 standards of the EPA.
