In the wake of the large media coverage of pollution disasters such as the Flint Water Crisis and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, environmental degradation at the hands of companies and industrial involvement should be at the forefront of concern for Americans. However, the silent epidemic involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) poses a dangerous threat to human health and raises concerns about the composition of information systems that are used in the risk management process of certain areas.

PFAS are synthetic chemicals that are used in everyday products such as contact lenses, non-stick pots and pans, water-resistant clothes and shoes, and even some types of paper, and are often referred to as "forever chemicals" because traces of the chemicals tend to consistently stay in the area long after exposure. Although not all synthetic chemicals pose health risks, PFAS are specifically linked to increased risk of potential infertility, testicular and kidney cancer, and thyroid disease. In addition to the many health concerns posed by the contamination of PFAS in various products, experts are specifically concerned about PFAS because of how persistent and mobile it is. PFAS are highly mobile, moving through watersheds and airways quickly and spreading to other areas easily.

Social capital refers to an individual's potential ability to gain resources or possess value within a society. Individuals with high social capital have power and influence over decisions that affect them and are easily able to control the situations they are in. Conversely, individuals with low social capital are undervalued by society and are not able to influence decisions surrounding situations that are pertinent to them. Within the management of the PFAS contamination epidemic, there are a few key ways that social capital, or a lack thereof, has led to the failure of managing the growing crisis of synthetic chemical pollution in the US.

Controlling Narratives: Part of what influences how governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community advocacy groups respond to emergencies lies in how the crisis is perceived. Historically, stemming from the introduction of PFAS in household products in the 1960s, PFAS contamination was not seen as a threat due to the lack of knowledge on the issue. Researchers working for companies such as 3M and DuPont, major manufacturers of PFAS, controlled what the public knew about PFAS pollution and exposure to these chemicals. DuPont and 3M were able to strategically inform regulatory agencies and the public with limited information that they were willing to disclose while being fully aware of the adverse health effects that exposure to these chemicals caused. The high social capital these companies possessed allowed them to be perceived as trustworthy well into the 1990s, when initial litigation attempted to hold manufacturers accountable for the suffering that consumers experienced caused by their products. These manufacturers' ability to control the narrative about the threat that PFAS pollution caused led to a weak response from regulatory agencies and NGOs because they did not perceive the issue as a threat to public health and safety.

Influencing Regulatory Actions: In addition to suppressing concerns regarding health effects and PFAS products, chemical manufacturing companies use their social capital to influence regulatory agency decisions. Heavy lobbying by the synthetic chemical industry led to the severe weakening of one of the only pieces of legislation surrounding the issue of substance toxicity. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed in 1976 and is filled with inadequacies that allow the industry to continue production of these chemicals without consequence. Many of the regulations exclude previously created synthetic chemicals, which were known to be hazardous since the late 1960s, and allowed the chemical manufacturing industry to thwart regulatory efforts on existing products. Additionally, the law requires regulatory agencies to demonstrate that a chemical is harmful before taking action, which is prevented by the refusal of most companies to disclose their research and internal data regarding the health effects of their products.

Plant Placement: While the previous cases explain how high social capital is weaponized to assist the chemical manufacturing industry, the legacy of plant placement displays the harsh reality of low social capital. Although the spread of PFAS through water and air contamination leaves traces of the chemicals in various areas, the brunt of exposure is put on low-income, rural communities unprotected by local governments. Louisiana's 85-mile-long "cancer alley" is filled with over 200 petrochemical factories. Some of these petrochemicals are then used to create petroleum-based PFAS. This area is unincorporated, meaning that it has no local government to make decisions on land contracts or environmental standards. Instead, a council composed of individuals who are not residents in the area acts to make a majority of its decisions, and the state government's regulations are the only ones that apply. The production of these chemicals has led to vast pollution of the area's water and air, giving it the name "cancer alley" after the adverse health effects the industry has had in the area. The initial economic benefit that the state of Louisiana gained through the industry's production starting in 1972 influenced the council to loosen environmental regulations to encourage more factories in the area to manufacture there. While at this point the health effects associated with PFAS and petrochemicals were known, there were no further actions taken to protect the residents of the area until 2023, when the EPA took DuPont, a major manufacturer in the area, to court. The disregard for the health of local residents in the name of growth for the state economy shows the toll of low social capital within risk analysis and management.

While social capital influences certain groups' ability to obtain justice, there are ways to enable justice through transparency and accountability. To solve the issue of lobbying and controlling narratives, transparency on internal data surrounding the health effects of PFAS and other synthetic chemicals is imperative. Additionally, accountability in the form of stronger regulations is important for supplementing existing frameworks. As regulatory agencies move forward and work to rectify the issue of PFAS, it is important to place those with low social capital and influence at the forefront of the conversation to ensure justice for those who cannot obtain it for themselves.