Dana Miller Ervin

How did PFAS chemicals once used in popular stain-resistant carpets end up in the water and environment in parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina? FRONTLINE, The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Post and Courier and AL.com investigate what happened with these forever chemicals and the ongoing health impacts. The joint investigation draws on thousands of pages of documents and court depositions and interviews with former regulators and industry insiders, as well as doctors, scientists and people who have the kinds of illnesses that researchers have linked to PFAS contamination.

In recent years, the U.S. has been experiencing what’s been called a mental health crisis. The documentary Fractured examines how that crisis is playing out within the criminal justice system in North Carolina, a state where it’s been harder to access mental health care than in most others. From FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, the Charlotte, North Carolina, NPR station WFAE, and Firelight Media, Fractured investigates the long waits for mental health care that defendants who are deemed too sick to stand trial face in North Carolina. The documentary explores how the long waits for care affect not only these defendants, but also the criminal justice system itself.