BRISTOL, Tenn. — Zoe Poplin cupped her hands around her 17-month-old’s head, as if her palms over his ears could protect him. “I’m worried about him,” she said. She stroked baby Ezra’s back. “Because when they’re little, you know, their little cells are splitting real fast, and he’s growing and all it takes is one misreading, and he could end up with childhood cancer. Because they were saying volatile organic compounds, and — what was it?”
“Benzene,” murmured her husband, Tim.