Ronnie gave his life to carpets. Now he’s facing PFAS in his water.

In Dalton, Georgia — known as the "Carpet Capital of the World" — former Shaw Industries worker Ronnie Anderson shares how decades of carpet manufacturing may have contaminated local water, soil, and entire communities with PFAS or “forever chemicals.” AJC reporters Justin Price and Dylan Jackson reveal what testing found on Anderson’s land — and how widespread the pollution may be in Northwest Georgia. Industry giants Shaw and Mohawk say their chemical suppliers assured them their products were safe, they complied with regulators and that they stopped using PFAS in U.S. manufacturing in 2019. As Dalton faces a future shaped by AI and data centers, the pressure to avoid repeating past environmental harm is growing. Watch the full episode of "Curiosities of the South" covering the impact in Dalton now on the AJC YouTube channel — and subscribe for more in-depth stories shaping the region. Credits: AJC