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Driving DangerouslyThe truth about DOW

Driving Dangerously – The truth about Dow

The other Dow Report 1

The Dow Global Public Report instructs us to:

Let us know

what you think

Here, people with an interest in Dow or affected by the company take Dow up on the offer and ask Dow to live upto its goals on human rights, sustainability and environmental protection.

People from communities affected by Dow’s operations tell the company how and why they have suffered andask Dow to address the problems it has caused.

Dow’s neighbors and stakeholders explain how – in Herbert Dow’s phrase – it can “do it better”.

Is Dow listening?

ContentsLetter from the stakeholders 2

Agent Orange – Vietnam trauma 4

Midland’s dubious endowment 8

DBCP: A tragedy forewarned 12

Intoxicating Louisiana 15

Two world-class betrayals in Bhopal 18

The Dow in all of us 22

Our Dursban burden 24

Cruel profile 26

Greenwash 28

Conclusion 30

To do list 30

Want to know more 31

On behalf of the Dow Accountability Campaign

This report is a testimony to the struggles for justice waged by the people of Vietnam, India, Latin America, the USand around the world who have been poisoned by Dow’s products, toxic wastes and emissions.Cover photo: © Richard Allen [email protected]

This report examines the performance of one of the world’s largest companies.

In 2003 Dow had annual sales of nearly $33 billion,employed approximately 46,000 people, and servedcustomers in 183 countries through 180 manufacturing sites,supplying 3,500 products. Dow also invested in good imageprojection. Its website is full of statements hailing thecompany as a model of social and environmentalresponsibility. This report examines the reality behind therhetoric. Even though the case studies in this report onlyprovide a snapshot of Dow’s behaviour around the world,they go some way to illustrate the truth about Dow:

• Nearly 30 years after the Vietnam War people arecontinuing to suffer dioxin poisoning from the Agent Orangedefoliant Dow supplied the US military. Health impacts arepassing from generation to generation,

• in Michigan, over 22 miles of dioxin contamination stretchfrom Dow’s plant in Midland, along the Tittabawassee River to Saginaw and beyond.Children may not play in their own gardens. Many fish must not be eaten. There are clustersof thyroid problems, cancers and diabetes in the area,

• in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Philippines, thousandsof banana farmers have been poisoned by DBCP, apesticide Dow produced. Dow and other US companiescontinued to ship this pesticide around the world long afterthey were aware of the appalling health problems it causes,

• up to 300 people from the Myrtle Grove Trailer Park inLouisiana were drinking, cooking, washing and swimming inpolluted well water for up to five years. Just two miles upthe road Dow produces vinyl chloride at a plant that hasbeen experiencing toxic waste disposal problems fordecades,

2 The Truth About Dow

Dear Reader

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• when Dow acquired Union Carbide in 2001 it inherited the liabilities for the world’sbiggest industrial disaster to date. The consequences of the 1984 disaster at the UnionCarbide pesticide plant are still taking their physical and emotional toll. Dow has not takenresponsibility for the harm caused, adequately compensated the victims, cleaned up thecontaminated site or faced justice in India, and

• Dow’s chemicals are accumulating in the bodies of ordinary people in the US andworldwide. Scientists have found pesticides and industrial chemicals in nearly everyAmerican tested. Before people are even born, Dow’s synthetic chemicals begin building upin their bodies. Studies have shown levels of chlorpyrifos (Dursban) in children twice as highas in adults. The full health impacts are yet to be discovered, but early evidence suggests allof these exposures are compromising our health.

What matters to people in India, Nicaragua, Vietnam, the US and across the world is notwhat Dow says in glossy brochures. People suffering from reproductive disorders, skinlesions, cancer or developmental problems because of Dow or its subsidiaries want thecompany to address the problems it has caused, and reform its product line so that itdoesn’t continue to create more poisonous legacies.

Specifically Dow must accept its legal and moral obligations to those it has poisoned.Where communities are legitimately seeking medical monitoring, cleanup, andcompensation for poisoning, the company must resolve these claims. Where the companyhas contaminated neighborhoods, workers, and communities and left a legacy of ongoingharm, the company must seek to provide redress. Finally, addressing historical wrongs isnot enough if the company continues to poison others. The company must reform itsproduct line so that it no longer poisons people and the planet.

The Truth About Dow 3

Rashida BeeThe Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh

Betty DamoreTittabawassee River Watch

Dr Phan Thi Phi PhiThe Vietnam Association for Agent Orange Victims


The tragedy of the Vietnam war iswell documented and ranks amongthe most terrible holocausts of thetwentieth century. Less known isthat twenty-nine years after thewar’s formal conclusion in 1975, thesuffering caused by chemicals usedin Vietnam is still passing fromgeneration to generation.1 Thesevictims are largely unknown andunheard in the US. Nor have theyreceived any assistance orcompensation from the USgovernment or the manufacturers ofthe chemicals including Dow.2

Although the final death toll from thewar will never be known it may beas many as four million, with millionsmore injured and traumatized. Thenumber of victims of Dow’schemicals which were liberallysprayed over ten per cent of SouthVietnam during the war is alsoincalculable. What is certain is thatbetween 1962 and 1971 US planessprayed an estimated 21 milliongallons of chemicals over Vietnam inorder to defoliate forests where theybelieved communist troops might behiding.

The most extensively used of thesedefoliation herbicides was known asAgent Orange because of orangestripes on the drums it was shippedin. Most was produced by Dowwhich supplied approximately one

third of nearly 13 million gallons ofAgent Orange which was droppedby the planeload over thousands ofacres in Vietnam.3 Lush forestswilted under the onslaught. By themid 1960s there were reports ofincreased miscarriages, stillbirthsand birth defects amongVietnamese people and animals.

The collateral damage

As we now know, this was just thebeginning. Spraying was abruptlyhalted in 1971 after it was confirmedthat Agent Orange was highlycontaminated with a very toxic formof dioxin and caused cancer in rats.Toxic dioxins remain in Vietnam’ssoil 28 years after the fighting andhave been shown to cause variouscancers, birth defects and organdysfunction.4 The full list of diseasesassociated with Agent Orange alsoincludes Type II diabetes, spinabifida, hodgkins disease, acute andsub-acute neuropathy, a largenumber of soft tissue sarcomas andmultiple myeloma. Many of thesediseases occur long after the initialexposure.5

This news comes as no surprise tomany American veterans or to theVietnamese veterans and theirfamilies who have long blamedAgent Orange for a plethora ofillnesses. US veterans finally sued

the makers including Dow becausethe US Government wouldn’t takeresponsibility for their suffering.Meanwhile Dow claimed that asGovernment suppliers they wereindemnified from prosecution andthat in any case they were orderedto continue production for the warafter the government knew aboutthe contamination. Nevertheless, inan out-of-court settlement, Dow andthe other six major producers ofAgent Orange agreed to pay $180million to a veteran fund. Fifty-twothousand veterans received moneyfrom the fund before it ran out ofcash in 1994. To this dayresearchers are continuing to findlinks between Agent Orange andvarious illnesses in US Vietnamveterans. But the issue isn’t goingaway. The US Supreme Courtrecently ruled in favour of a newgroup of veterans who say theirAgent Orange exposure relatedillnesses occurred after the 1984settlement funds were closed tonew applicants in 1994, and thusreopened the possibility of anotherpayout to veterans.6

Apocalypse without end?

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the impactsof Agent Orange and dioxin areoverwhelming. The number ofpeople suffering from exposure tochemical defoliants used during the

“In Vietnam, the poorest, the most miserable and the most discriminated ones arethe Agent Orange victims.”Dr Phan Thi Phi Phi, The Vietnam Association for Agent Orange Victims, 2004

Agent Orange – Vietnam trauma


war is somewhere between fivehundred thousand and one million.Up to five hundred thousand havedied as a result and another fivehundred thousand Vietnamesechildren are suffering fromdeformities related to the sprayingof Agent Orange as its effects passfrom generation to generation.7, 8

In 2002 dioxin contamination wasfound in food samples approachinglevels found during the war.9

Some of today’s sufferers weredoused in Agent Orange during thewar, others are farmers who lived offland that was sprayed. The secondgeneration are the sons and

daughters of people who had beenexposed. Now there is a thirdgeneration of victims. Adults aresuffering from skin lesions andgoitres and children are born withvarious birth defects including largeheads, enlarged, bubble eyes andaltered limbs.10 Others suffer fromsevere depression and mentaldisorders.

According to the former vicepresident of Vietnam, MadamNguyen Binh, returning veterans inVietnam were eager to have childrenand build families to repopulate theirdevastated country. However manyof the first born children in thesefamilies had birth defects, so the

veterans tried again and again. As aresult, according to Madame Binh,there are a number of Vietnamesefamilies that now have four or fivedisabled children.11 The VietnameseGovernment has urged the USGovernment to clean up the areasaffected by Agent Orange onnumerous occasions.12 Recently,under an agreement with Vietnam,the US Government has pledged toconduct joint scientific research onthe defoliant but has consistentlydeclined to discuss anycompensation.13

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Vietnamtestimonies‘The Vietnam Association for AgentOrange Victims is a groupcampaigning for justice. In 2004 theyfiled the first lawsuit against themakers of Agent Orange in a NewYork Court, seeking unspecifieddamages from Dow, Monsanto andother companies that made theherbicide. The plaintiffs and theirfamilies consist of people who havebecome ill from Agent Orange.

Lawsuits have also been brought byNew Zealand and South Koreanswho served in Vietnam. Veteransorganizations in South Koreaestimate tens of thousands wereexposed.

Agent Orange survivor, Tran thiHong Ha is now 45 years old:

“My husband worked and wasexposed indirectly to unknownchemicals of US army from 1972-1976 in Quang Tri old citadel, TayNinh and Khe Sanh. He ate food anddrank stream water in these regions.

“I was first pregnant in 1986 with abreech presentation. The foetal heartsound was lost during labour and thefoetus died several hours beforedelivery.

“My second daughter Hoang Ha My,born in 1987, is now 16 years old.The labor and delivery was normal.But at eight months of age werealised she had physical and mentalgrowth retardation and the diagnosiswas cerebral palsy. She stays in bedall day, cannot sit nor stand. She

must be served everything in bed,including her personal hygiene.

“In 1989 I was pregnant again butlost the baby in the second month.My fourth and fifth children arealmost normal.

“The illness of Hoang Ha My, bringsupset to my whole family. We havefaced many psychological andeconomic difficulties. Our life is reallynot stable. My family wants torepresent ourselves and otherfamilies who have similarcircumstances.”

Agent Orange survivor Huynh thiPhuong is now 63:

“After graduating from Hanoi MedicalUniversity in 1965 I returned to theSouth and worked in a VaccineProduction Center in the Mid-Centralarea, located along Pui stream andNgheu, Oa,Vin streams.

“In 1969, when we were working inour lab, we smelt an unpleasant odor.We quickly ran out and saw a bigairplane flying slowly over leaving adense foggy cloud. We realized it wasAgent Orange as just after severalminutes, the leaves on the trees felldown. We had to rescue what we hadcultivated for survival.

“We rushed to our cassava gardenand wallowed in the toxic air withoutthinking of the danger. All of us triedto save our products and we caughtthe toxic agent. We soaked ourproducts in the stream nearby, butthe stream was also toxic. We boiledcassava carefully to eat but the odorremained.

“There was no other choice. Daily, wehad to eat the foods in these areas.Weeks after that, trees around died.

My friends Luong, Toan and Hunghad haematoria. In 1972 due to arecurrent illness I went to the Northfor treatment.

“I married in 1972 and had anunderweight boy, but luckily he wasnormal. In 1979 I had a second child.Due to 12 tumors clinging to myuterus and ovaries, doctors had toperform caesarean and forcepsprocedure to deliver my baby.

“They had to remove my entire uterusand ovaries due to these tumors. At that time we had no drugs (ourcountry was isolated – closed) formaintaining the family life of a youngcouple.

Hoang Ha My

‘


“My younger sister Huynh thi PhuongAnh, born in 1943, who lived andworked as bank officer in, Quang NamProvince from 1968 to 1971 also had auterine fibroid tumor which wasremoved in 1990 at Hanoi.

“None of our relatives had this kind ofdisease. It was terrible. I condemnindividuals who bring theseconsequences to me and mycolleagues.”

Agent Orange survivor Pham thiHao is now 48:

“As young volunteer, I worked as aroad worker or a cook at Ashaw.Although I was not directly exposed toAgent Orange, I lived in the regions

with dead trees. I used to forestvegetables like cassava, as foods andspring water. I fear I acquired exposureindirectly.

“I was pregnant five times and hadthree miscarriages. From 1999 I washospitalized in the Central Hospital ofObstetrics and Gynecology in Hanoibecause of severe gynaenologicalcomplications and cancer.

“I needed six courses of chemo-therapy. No cancer nor reproductivedisorders were previously documentedamong my relatives.”

Pham thi Hao after chemotherapy

There are 75 different forms of dioxinmaking up a family of chemicalscontaining carbon, hydrogen andchlorine. Agent Orange contained2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxinor TCDD which is considered themost toxic form of dioxin.14 AgentWhite was another dioxin-contaminated herbicide produced byDow and widely used by the USduring the Vietnam war. Agent Whiteand Agent Orange both contained2,4-D dioxin which is also a possiblecarcinogen, suspected endocrinedisruptor and potential ground watercontaminant.15

Dioxins aren’t deliberatelymanufactured. They are merely theunintended by-product of industrial

processes that use or burn chlorinein the presence of organic materials.Three main sources are municipalwaste, hospital incinerators andbackyard burn barrels.16 Othersources are chemical processingfacilities that use chlorine to makeproducts such as polyvinyl chloride(PVC) and pesticides.17 Dioxin is aninevitable by-product of most ofDow’s organochlorine chemicalmanufacture.18

Scientific evidence of severe healthimpacts surrounding exposure todioxin has serious implications formany products central to Dow’sbusiness.19 A recent report preparedby Innovest Strategic Value Advisors,Dow Chemical: Risks for investors

highlights how Dow’s efforts toreduce dioxin emissions at itsfacilities, while welcome, do not gofar enough to address the full extentof the problems.20 Dow is one of thelargest makers of PVC plastic,pesticides and solvents. PVC plasticcreates dioxin when it is burned.21

Many of Dow’s dioxin-containingmanufacturing wastes must be land-filled. The tragedy of Agent Orangeis only the tip of the dioxincontamination iceberg. Dow is stillcontributing to dioxin contaminationto this day as people living in thearea surrounding its Michigancorporate headquarters are findingout.

Dioxin


Midland’s dubious endowment

In 1899 Herbert H. Dow sunk thefoundations of his historichomestead into a naturally beautifularea on the border of Midland andSaginaw in the State of Michigan.He did not foresee he had also laidthe foundations of the area’s ruin.The headquarters of his nearbychemical company has grown into anotorious giant since its origins ashumble brine well. Today 22 miles ofdioxin contamination emanate fromthe plant along the TittabawasseeRiver, to Saginaw and probably wellbeyond.1

Dow gets affluent,Tittabawassee gets effluent

The Midland headquarters hasplayed a central role in Dow’s questto supply the world with some of themost notorious 20th centuryproducts, various pesticides,mustard gas, saran wrap,styrofoam, agent orange, napalmand other dubious chemicals. Tothis day Dow’s purported missiongoes on,“to constantly improve what isessential to human progress bymastering science and technology.”2

But people living on theTittabawassee flood plain have littlefaith in Dow’s mission. They are

suffering from the impact of itsemissions – which have been riskinghealth since the 1900s. In thosedays tankfuls of waste were oftendeliberately released into theTittabawasse River.3 Even so, thecumulative effect of over a century’sworth of poisoning has only recentlybeen exposed. It wasn’t until 1985that the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) realizedlevels of dioxin in fish taken from theriver were the highest in the wholeof the US.4

Bad news for wildlife. And people.Dioxins and other bio-accumulativetoxicants are by-products of thechlorine industry – the dailybusiness of the Dow Midland plant.Dioxin is considered the most toxicman-made compound ever tested. Itdoesn’t break down easily andbioaccumulates in animal tissue.5

The effects of its poisoning makepretty grim reading and include birthdefects, miscarriages, cancer,immune and hormone systemdamage, developmental disabilities,endometriosis, diabetes, dermatitis

“As a kid my family would mention the river was polluted. Dow was mentioned. Youcould see a yellow haze in the sky when you drove through Midland and you had toroll up your windows near Dow’s factories. In February 2001 I heard about thedioxin levels around our properties. I had no doubts it was from Dow Chemical.”Betty Damore, Tittabawasse River resident

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The Tittabawassee river – tests reveal toxic concentrations up to 80 times higher thanacceptable levels 22 miles from the Dow Midland plant


and a range of other problems.6

Studies on animals found dioxincauses cancer at unexpectedly lowlevels.7

The heaviest flooding on recordcompounded the contamination in1986. Dow’s waste treatmentfacilities were overwhelmed and thecontents of their vast holding tankswere flushed into the river. Waterlevels reached 15 feet above normaland further contaminated 22 milesof river frontage downstream.8

Poisoning its own backyard

The efforts of environmental groups,residents and some governmentofficials finally revealed the fullextent of the problems. In 2000 theMichigan Department ofEnvironmental Quality (MDEQ)oversaw sampling of soil from thefloodplain near the confluence of theTittabawassee and Saginaw rivers.The shocking results showed toxicconcentrations up to 80 timeshigher than the MDEQ criterion asfar as 20 miles from the DowMidland plant and tests on higherground showed 13 out of 15samples were above the criterion.9

Recent MDEQ sampling revealed 77 per cent of flood plain propertiestested are contaminated with levelsexceeding the maximum mandatedby state law.10, 11

The 2003 Michigan Family FishConsumption Guide gives someidea of the implications. Catfish,carp and white bass are too full ofchemicals to eat. Even the leastcontaminated smaller fish, need to

be specially prepared and shouldonly be eaten once a week.12 Studiesof wildlife show high levels of dioxincontamination accumulating evenfurther up the food chain.

Strong evidence surely that Dowhas continuously dumped chemicalson its own doorstep.13 But thehuman concerns of people living in2000 properties along the river aremost pressing. Until recently mostproperty owners along theTittabawassee were unaware of thedangers due to lack of testing andoutpourings of misinformation fromDow’s PR machine. And despiteoverwhelming evidence ofcontamination, Dow’s spin is notabating.

Dow spokesperson, Terri M.Johnson, described the samplesshowing the highest levels of 5,660parts per trillion total toxicequivalence (TEQ) retrieved 15inches below ground as “assuring”.14

No wonder residents are confused.Martha Stimpson expresses thefrustration of many describing theresults as anything but “assuring”she is not alone in being, “disgustedat Dow’s happy talk and their effortsto minimise the problem”.15

The sophistication of Dow’s PRdeveloped over the past 100 yearsis frighteningly convincing and faroutstrips its ability to guaranteesafety.

Way back in 1987, Paul Oreffice,President of Dow Chemical wassaying,

“The air of Midland is our air; theTittabawassee is our river. The vastmajority of us don’t come fromsome other community and put inour workday and then go back tothat other community… Midland ishome… We want to take pride (anddo take pride) in the environmentalquality of Midland and its healthrecord and its safety achievements.”

But all the spin and the PR in theworld won’t make the contaminationgo away. Dow is poisoning thepeople living in its own backyard.

Tittabawassee riversideresidents tell Dow what theythink

Now, three hundred seventy threeplaintiffs have launched a classaction lawsuit seeking redress forfalling property values and a fund tomonitor and treat the healthimplications. Despite the 13,000pages of documents produced bythe plaintiffs, Dow insisted theyhadn’t provided sufficientinformation. Meanwhile nothing isbeing done to clean up thefloodplain.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorney,Jan Helder, “every act that Dowtakes makes it absolutely clear thatthey want to avoid doing anythingabout it for as long as possible.”

In 2004 Dow claims its latest cleanup proposals will meet the MDEQ’ssatisfaction. Tittabawasseeresidents aren’t holding their breath.In such an unhealthy environmentperhaps they should.


‘‘ Tittabawasseetestimonies

Betty Damore

“I am 55 and have always lived onStroebel road. I grew up here. Theproperty we live on was owned bymy grandfather. We are about aquarter of a mile back from theriver. Our property is connected byStroebel drain to the TittabawasseeRiver. As water levels change dueto heavy rains or melting snow, thefloodwaters flow into Stroebel drainflooding the back portion of ourproperty. Sometimes we have 8 foot of water in our back yard.

“As a kid my family would mentionthe river was polluted. Dow wasmentioned. You could see a yellowhaze in the sky when you drovethrough Midland and you had to rollup your windows near Dow’sfactories. In February 2001 I heardabout the dioxin levels around ourproperties. I had no doubts it wasfrom Dow Chemical.

“It is difficult to know whetherhealth problems my family and Isuffer are a consequence of thedioxin. However, it is known thatdioxin may cause cancer, diabetes,hormonal problems, and a list ofother problems.

“Why do we have a clustering ofindividuals with a multiple sclerosisdiagnosis and cancer? It is knownthat there are much higherincidents of thyroid problems in thiscommunity.

“When the DEQ tested ourneighborhood, the results showedlevels from three parts per trilliontotal toxic equivalence (TEQ) byStroebel Rd to 90 parts per trillionTEQ approximately 50 feet from theback of our property line.

“Government departments havesent out serial newsletters withrecommendations of whatresidents should do to limit theirexposure to dioxin. We have nothad a garden for three yearsbecause this area was flooded inthe 1986 flood. As far as cuttinggrass, my husband always wears amask. If there is a need to go to theend of our property line we wearboots and specific work clothes.

“Less than a quarter of a mile fromus people have levels of more thantwo thousand parts per trillion TEQin their backyard. Their kids areolder but they have younggrandchildren that play in theirbackyard. Children are closer to theground and they are moresusceptible.

“Dow representatives havementioned people may not need touse their property entirely and ifthey are aware that area iscontaminated don’t use it. It is ourproperty and we should be able touse it as we see fit.

“We built our home here and put ourlife savings into our home. It is a nicearea, close to work and shopping.We routinely see wild turkey, deer,and other wildlife. Our youngest is inhigh school so we have no intentionsof moving at this time.

“We may want to move in the futurebut because we live in thefloodplain our property has beendeclared by the DEQ as a wastefacility. Being a responsible propertyowner it is our moral responsibilityto tell potential buyers about thisdioxin contamination.

“Our kids are aged 17 to 24. Thereshould be a trust fund set up formedical monitoring. They areyoung now but what may occur inthe future for them health wiseremains to be seen. Our lifestyleshave changed as a result of thecontamination.

“Dow continues to want morestudies done. This has been anongoing problem. Why duplicatestudies that have already beendone by state agencies.

“Dow needs to address thisproblem and clean it up now. Fortwo years there continues to be adispute about how to warn peopleabout the contamination on parksigns. Needless to say innocentchildren, adults, and family petscontinue to be exposed to dioxin.Dow suggested placing wood chipson frequently used areas in localparks but after the most recentflood those wood chips would havebeen washed away. Their solution islike putting a small bandage on amassive bleeding wound.”


Kathy Henry

“My life changed forever the day Iread a Saginaw newspaper articlethat local environmental groupshad discovered state agencies hadbeen withholding information aboutcontamination of the TittabawasseeRiver with a dangerous toxin calleddioxin. I had never heard of itbefore, but had a sick feeling in mystomach.

“You see, many years prior to this, Ihad come to suspect there wassomething very wrong with ourproperty, but had no idea what. Iam an avid wildlife and birdwatcher, and had noticed therewere basically no rabbits livingaround us even though we haveperfect habitat for them. A strayone would show up once in awhile,but they were never around forlong.

“A species of woodpecker knownto live in the area, a Flicker, who'sprimary diet is ants, never couldseem to establish a populationhere, where other types whoprimarily ate other insects off oftrees did well.

“There seems to be no worms inthe floodplain soils that I have dugup over the years. Some of themice my cats would catch andbring home had large tumors intheir livers. The two cats that ate alot of mice also died of strangecancers. And of course there werethe fish, walleye people wouldcatch during the walleye festivalthat had tumors on them.

“There are actually very fewspecies that seem to thrive in thisarea, considering what should behere.

“Over the past two years, I haveattended many meetings and find itdisturbing to hear the stories frommany, many families that live on theriver. There doesn't seem to be onehousehold that does not havemultiple illnesses in their families. Isthis normal?

“I feel that in the greatercommunity, there is still muchdenial as to how bad the situationreally is. People don't want tobelieve there is such a problem, forvarious reasons, and accept Dow'smisinformation with open arms,hoping the problem will just goaway. Sad.

“After a year of trying to findanswers and solutions from stateagencies, environmental groups,politicians and even Dow, we feltour only option was to file a law suitagainst the polluter. It was obviousto us by then that we needed toprotect ourselves.

“We also fully support theenvironmental groups in theirefforts to get Dow to clean up thecontamination disaster theycreated. It is the only right thing todo.

“This is an effort to correctsomething that is terribly wrongand needs to be fixed.

“But for now, every day I wake upand look out into the yard that Ionce loved, felt tremendous joy inbeing here, and only feel sadness. Ino longer care about the yard,flowers, birds and animals. When Isee the flock of wild turkeyspecking on the ground looking forfood, I want to cry.

“The State of Michigan tested ouryard, and the highest level of 12samples they took, was 1130 partsper trillion TEQ.”


DBCP –A tragedy forewarned“There was absolutely no adequate warning on these barrels to prevent exposure toinnocent people living and working on these banana plantations…the DBCP wasused and sprayed in wide swathes onto unsuspecting people who lived within andaround the banana plantations, some of whom never even saw a DBCP barrel.”Juan Dominguez, US lawyer representing the Nicaraguan Association of Workers and Former Workers with Claimsagainst Nemagon, (ASOTRAEXDAN), 2003

A widely used Dow product,dibromochloropropane (DBCP), is avery effective worm killer. It is also acarcinogen, ground watercontaminant, reproductive toxin andsuspected endocrine disruptor.Today, up to 65,000 banana workersand their families are suffering fromsterility, testicular atrophy, birth ofdeformed or miscarried babies, skindiseases, permanent headaches,bone pains, vision loss, severedepression, and five types ofterminal cancer as a result ofexposure to DBCP. These peoplehave worked or lived on giantbanana plantations in CentralAmerica, the Caribbean and thePhilippines producing fruit for USmultinationals.1 Many children arenow inheriting their parent’s ill-health.

The profit-making potential of thepesticide was discovered in 1952when scientists were experimentingwith ethylene dibromide or EDB -marketed as Dowfume. DBCPpromised even more spectacularresults in the battle to save bananasand other fruit from the ravages ofthe microscopic, root-eating,nematode worm.2 Dow and the Shell

Chemical Company liked it so muchthey rushed to develop DBCP whichthey marketed by the brand namesof Fumazone and Nemagonrespectively. Sales were alreadylooking very healthy by 1958 whenan internal Dow report gave an earlyindication of the scale of theproblems on the horizon.3

A can of worms

Skin tests on rats, rabbits, guineapigs and monkeys revealed thatDBCP was readily absorbed by theskin or through inhalation. Testanimals suffered from liver, lung andkidney damage. Half died as a result

of inhaling the equivalent quantity ofDBCP many laborers would beexposed to in three months. Theseand further tests confirmed thatdramatic testicular atrophy resultsafter prolonged and repeatedexposure to DBCP.4 But Dow andShell neglected to report thesefindings when they submittedinformation for registration andlabeling in the US.5 And as thetoxicity of their products becameclearer, Dow and Shell merelyswapped a few internal memos andissued some feeble advice aboutprotective clothing and avoidingfumes.6

Pesticides are often sprayed in swathes over banana plantations. They can affect people and wildlifeliving in the area and can leach into soil and ground water

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/Banana Link

Despite the evidence, companiescontinued to produce and supplyDBCP. From 1964, the OccidentalChemical (Oxy) plant near Lathropformulated Fumazone for Dow.Workers regularly inhaled vaporsand dust. They also splashed DBCPonto their skin and clothes. Whenseven plant workers were tested in1977, their sperm counts were solow or non-existent that one doctorthought they had undergonevasectomies. Reports of widespreadinfertility led to such frenzied newscoverage that Dow, Shell and Oxyfinally suspended their USoperations - just one month aheadof a federal suspension.

7

As part of a television documentaryin 2001 one worker expressed thefeelings of betrayal many feel: “Aftertelling me that I shouldn't worryabout anything out there because itcan't hurt me, now to find out thatI'm sterile from it, their answer was,don't worry about that because youcan always adopt children.”8

Poisonous export

Despite the furor and distress DBCPwas causing back home, Dow andother companies continued to ship itto countries all over the world until1985. Initially it had no labelswarning it was extremely toxic andno instructions on using it safely. Asa result its widespread use hascaused the permanent sterility ofthousands. One study found thatapproximately 20-25 per cent of themale working population in bananaplantations on Costa Rica’s Atlanticcoast, where workers had mixedDBCP by hand, were sterile.9

An all-star cast of multinationalsfaced lawsuits from plantationworkers in 11 countries. But Dow,Shell, Oxy and Chiquita settled outof court in 1997 for just $41 million.As a result the farmworkers only gotabout of $1,500 each after legalfees.10 These miserly settlements gosome way to explain the companies’traditional preference for hearings inforeign countries whose archaiclegal systems have been inadequatefor such vast and technical classactions.11

Nicaraguan farmers tell Dowwhat they think

Thousands of DBCP victims inNicaragua have formed unions todemand compensation from thecompanies that poisoned them. In2001 associations of bananaworkers, led by the Association ofWorkers and Former Workers withClaims against Nemagon,(ASOTRAEXDAN) mobilised protestsand influenced public opinion to thepoint where the National Assemblypassed new law specifically forpeople affected by pesticidesderived from DBCP. Known as law364, it provides the legal frameworkthrough which people affected byDBCP can sue corporations thatproduced and applied thechemical.12

The first judgement under the lawdecided in favour of 466 DBCPaffected workers in 2002. TheNicaraguan court ordered Dow,Shell, and Dole to pay workers $489million as compensation for theirsuffering. By July 2003 at least 5000

other banana workers were plaintiffsin similar legal cases.

Subsequent to this ruling, Dow andthe other companies, that had beenarguing cases should be heard inthe countries where the purportedinjuries occurred, revised theiropinions. Dow now wants the casestried in the US.13 Neither Dow norany of the other companiesparticipated in the trial and Dow saythey will not pay. Dow absolvesitself, saying the law, “offendsvirtually every notion Americanshave of fair play and substantialjustice”.

In March 2002, the then USAmbassador to Nicaragua, OliverGarza, put pressure on theadministration of President EnriqueBolaños to have the country'sSupreme Court declare Law 364unconstitutional. The resultinguproar in Nicaragua’s media led theNational Assembly to affirm it willnot allow one comma in the law tobe changed.14

In another forum, during thenegotiations of the Central AmericanFree Trade Agreement, chemicalcompanies lobbied the UnitedStates Trade Representative toinclude a clause that would makelaws such as the Nicaraguan Law364 a violation.15

Meanwhile the thousands ofNicaraguan plantation workers whomarched on Managua and campedout for months are still waiting forjustice. Dow failed to prevent thetragedy. A cure is not possible.Compensation is overdue.



Nicaraguantestimonies

Juan Dominguez, the US lawyerrepresenting the Association ofWorkers and Former Workers withClaims against Nemagon,(ASOTRAEXDAN):16

“The DBCP was used and sprayedin wide swathes onto unsuspectingpeople who lived within and aroundthe banana plantations, some ofwhom never even saw a DBCPbarrel.

“The law is clear that once youplace a dangerous product in thestream of commerce, you are liablefor harm caused, no matter whereit is ultimately used.

“The scientific evidence isabundantly clear that sterility iscaused by DBCP. Moreover, thereis ample scientific evidence thatDBCP causes cancer and also birthdefects.

“[The companies] simply do notwant to be responsible in anycourt, in any country, or in anyforum…It is simple why they do notwish to defend themselves and it isbecause they know full well theywill lose.”

Flor de Maria Mendoza and herhusband José Romero worked onbanana plantations during the1970s. They have four children.Two died at birth. Their 11-year olddaughter, Ana Maria, was born with

physical deformities that do notallow her to walk, talk, or grasp.Ana's parents must feed her aconstant supply of medicine tocontrol her liver inflammation,frequent fevers, pneumonia, anddiarrhea while Ana sits in awheelchair, staring blankly intospace.17

Cristobal Acetuno picked andbagged bananas on plantations foreight years. He is now nearly blind,often feels nauseous, has noappetite and lives with rashes onhis skin and lesions on his feet.Cristobal's two sons suffer fromsimilar ailments that requiremedication, and his wife, also aformer banana worker, hasstomach cancer. Cristobal and hiswife had been mistaking thecancerous tumor in her stomachfor pregnancy until one day when

she lost consciousness, she wasrushed to the hospital, andunderwent a nearly fatal operationthat revealed her terminal disease.

Manuel Guido Montoya wasunable to have the children heonce hoped would ease hisworkload and bring home a fewextra dollars. Years ago, he tried tostart a family but the woman lefthim once she realized he wassterile.18 He says he and his co-workers were drenched in thepesticide.

“Walking through the plantations,we breathed in the vapors, I’d getheadaches, a bloody nose,stomach-aches...You put up with alot of pain.”19

Roberto is only one of many children suffering from physical deformities in the bananagrowing area of Chinandega in Nicaragua

©M

anuel Esq

uivel/La Prensa


The town of Plaquemine on thebanks of the Mississippi, just southof Baton Rouge is dominated by aweb of chemical tanks and pipescourtesy of Dow.

Now one of the biggest chemicalplants in the world, the complexwas built on the site of an old sugarplantation in 1956. Known then forits clean air and good fishing, thingshave changed irrevocably since.Nearly everyone would say for theworse. In the 1970s thepetrochemical industry moved intoLouisiana and effected itstransformation. Today over ahundred chemical and oilcompanies occupy a stretch knownas ‘Cancer Alley’. Dow’s plant keptexpanding until it was generatingabout ten per cent of the company’sworldwide sales by the earlynineties.1

Dow’s website boasts of theplethora of products made fromchemicals produced in Plaquemine.Millions of pounds of polyethyleneplastic are made into non-breakablebottles, computer and electroniccomponents, automobile parts,disposable diapers, footballhelmets, CDs and CD players,adhesives, strengtheners for tires,

athletic shoes, hoses and cables. Itschemicals are everywhere. Nowonder sales have boomed.2

Dow messes up

But with the profits came toxicwaste, caustic odors and pollutedwater. In typical cavalier fashion,Dow simply buried waste on thePlaquemine site until 1974. Eachsuccessive layer was covered with afew feet of dirt.3 By the 1980s Dowrealized its landfills were leaking andswitched to incineration.4 This non-solution ushered in a new load ofrisky emission problems, the toxicwastes already dumped havehaunted Dow ever since. Dow’srough estimate was thatapproximately 121,800 tons ofchemicals were dumped in thearea.5 Many were known to behuman carcinogens, others are verytoxic at low levels. Over time andout of sight 275 million pounds oftoxic sludge spread outwards until itoccupied a 30-acre undergroundarea.6 Dow has been cleaning up themess over the years but it seems tobe a process without end. Askedhow long it would take to clear upthe underground contamination Dowofficials have said they expected thecleanup would last “forever”.7

A major concern was that the wastewould find its way into thePlaquemine aquifer, a largeunderground layer of drinking water.8

Dow down the drain?

Today the pool of vinyl chloridecontamination stretches for milesunder homes, businesses, schoolsand playgrounds in Iberville Parish,Plaquemine.9 In the Mryrtle Groveneighborhood, two miles fromDow’s manufacturing facilities, therewas poison in the well water.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless,flammable gas at normaltemperatures, with a mild, sweetodor. It is a manufactured chemicalthat is used to make polyvinylchloride, more commonly known asPVC plastic. PVC is used to make avariety of plastic products such aspipes, cable coating, furniture andcar seats. Vinyl chloride is a knowncarcinogen.10 It is also a member ofa group of chemicals known asethylenes which have been found tobe neurotoxins.11 The EPA classifiesvinyl chloride as a ‘medium’ cancerhazard when inhaled and hasassociated it with increased risk ofcancer of the liver, brain, lung anddigestive tract.

"The plight of the poor people is the same the world over. We empathize with theMyrtle Grove residents who have been exposed to dangerous chemicals. Whatthey're going through is a slow-motion Bhopal"Champa Devi, Bhopal survivor, 2003

Intoxicating Louisiana


Animal testing has shown long termexposure can cause reproductiveproblems including miscarriage.Dow is one of the largest makers ofvinyl chloride in the world.

Although the Louisiana Departmentof Health and Hospitals detectedthe vinyl chloride in the Myrtle Grovegroundwater back in 1997 it failed totell the people living there until 2001.The EPA wasn’t initially informedeither. At this point the Departmentof Health and Hospitals did helpresidents get access to safe water.12

But the damage was done. For atleast five years and perhaps more,approximately 300 residents weredrinking, cooking, washing andswimming in well water from thePlaquemine aquifer that was knownto be polluted.13

Locals were concerned because ofthe number of miscarriages. “Meand Tammy, and Michelle, we all hadmiscarriages”, resident FayeRobertson has explained. Childrenburned and itched from bathwaterand wading pools and healthexperts warned the residents thatexposure could cause liver damage,nerve damage, circulatory problemsand skin lesions. Surprisinglyhowever, little is known about theeffects of vinyl chloride in water.Because incidents of drinking orbathing in such contaminated waterare so rare, scientists are unsure justhow toxic it is and no acceptabledose level has been established.14

Other health concerns amongresidents included mild headaches,rashes, changes in skin pigment,numbness, high blood pressure,nose bleeds, stomach problems,nausea, asthma, breast cancer,behavior problems and learningdisabilities in children.15 People callthe source of their ill health, ‘Dowwater’ and they believe the DowChemical plant is responsible for thecontamination and their healthproblems.16

As a result of the contamination thetrailer park has been shut down andthe mobile homes dragged away.The once vibrant African Americancommunity is no more. MeanwhileDow officials still maintain that theunderground waste that has seepedout from the Plaquemine plant iscontained and protected by a clay

layer and has not entered the waterin the aquifer. Dow continues tomaintain it is not the source of thepollution and accepts noresponsibility. Dow has deniedresponsibility while also seeking tomaintain their reputation in thecommunity:“Regardless of the source(s) of thecontamination, Dow is part of thecommunity, and we’re committed tobeing part of the solution.”

Dow spokeswoman, RebeccaBentley also proudly announces that“Tests in the aquifer underneath theplant itself showed no vinylchloride.” Other Dow tests haveapparently showed waste waterfrom the plant flows mainly to thewest and not towards the trailerpark in the south-west.

Intoxicating Louisiana cont

In Louisiana today over a hundred chemical and oil companies occupy a stretch known as‘Cancer Alley’.

©G

reenpeace/Les S

tone


But EPA tests have shown that theaquifer 190 feet below the surfaceflows in a south to southwestdirection which would carry itdirectly under the trailer park. WilmaSubra, a scientist from the LouisianaEnvironmental Action Networkagrees.“It appears to be originating fromthe area where Dow has itsproduction facilities. They producevinyl chloride. They sell it.”

She suggests that Dow’s monitoringwells may be located in such a waythey are missing the migratingcontaminants.17 Dow plantemployees also claim that for yearsthey were instructed to clean railwaycars used to transport vinyl chlorideand other chemicals by filling themwith water and dumping theresultant mix on the ground.18

Few think Louisiana will make Dowaccountable. Dow employs toomany people and has too mucheconomic clout. After a two-yearinvestigation, the LouisianaDepartment of EnvironmentalQuality is reluctant to conclude thatthe contamination emanates fromDow although it does concur thatDow is the prime suspect.

In December 2003 a constructioncompany began building a newhousing development on the site ofthe Myrtle Grove Trailer Park – soonto be known as Iberville Trace. Thefirst homes should be completedearly in 2004. The old Myrtle Grove

residents are mostly long gone, “Itwas a nice place” said JoyceBarrett, ex-Myrtle Grove Residentruefully.19

Myrtle Grove residents askfor justice

In 2002 over 200 current and formerresidents of the now closed MyrtleGrove Trailer Park in Plaqueminesigned onto a lawsuit claiming Dowillegally and knowingly released vinylchloride and other poisonouschemicals into their water.20

Resident Tammy Green lived inMyrtle Grove for 19 years

She and her husband Lloyd havetwo children. She is also leading theMyrtle Grove Trailer Park ResidentsAssociation. In 2003, before thePark was shut down she explainedto New York Times reporter, RickBragg how the poisoning hadtouched all their lives.

“Once, before the water scaredthem, there would have been a babyin a wading pool in almost everyyard, and people washing their carsin the driveways.

And we just all went on with life,cooking with it, not knowing.”

On Father’s Day in 2000 she had amiscarriage, but no one had toldthem yet about the threat.

When she and the other womenhere learned about the vinylchloride, they began to count thenumber of miscarriages in recentyears. “Thirteen” she said. “Thatmany women on one street?Something is wrong.”

“I know I’ll never try again,” she saidof her pregnancy. “I’ll never do thatagain.”

In another interview Tammy voicedthe concerns of many residents:“When are we going to get somehelp for us. Who is going to pay (forhealth screening and healthproblems)? I didn’t contaminatemyself.”

Two world class betrayals

As a result of its merger with theUnion Carbide Corporation in 2001Dow has inherited the legacy of the1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. This is notonly the world’s biggest industrialdisaster to date but its physical andemotional repercussions continue totraumatize the capital of the centralIndian province of Madhya Pradeshto this day.

Clearly this was a tragic inheritancefor Dow, but one that gave it anopportunity to atone for thesuffering Union Carbide had causedby properly compensating thevictims. Instead, Dow has continuedwith the policy of betrayal anddenial Union Carbide initiated.

The betrayal is such, that while fewof us have heard of Bhopal’sspectacular eleventh centuryartificial lakes and impressivecollection of mosques, palaces andbazaars, we are all familiar with thecity’s suffering at the hands of thesetwo companies. The failures ofUnion Carbide and subsequentlyDow, to adequately compensate thevictims of the disaster and theextraordinary lengths both havegone to in order to evade theirliabilities have astounded peoplearound the world.

The avoidable disaster

In Bhopal itself, people can’t makesense of it. Why do survivors of theexplosion of up to 40 tons of methylisocyanate (MIC) at the UnionCarbide India pesticide plant on thenight of the 2nd/3rd of December1984 continue to suffer? UnionCarbide located an inherentlyhazardous factory in a crowded areaof Bhopal despite knowing that thetechnology was unproven and therisks unknown. It is alleged that itdecided to go ahead withsubstandard technology in India,even when a safer technology wasused at its West Virginia factory.1, 2

Litigation allegations against UnionCarbide assert dangers found insafety audits of the Bhopal planthad not been fixed even thoughremedial measures were undertakenat Union Carbide’s identical MICplant in West Virginia.3 On the nightof the disaster water entered thetank containing MIC through leakingvalves.4 The refrigeration unit, whichshould have kept the MIC close tozero degrees centigrade, wasallegedly switched off by companyofficials to save on electricity bills.Safety systems which were notadequately designed to control sucha runaway situation, were awaiting

“After being exposed to gas from Union Carbide’s factory my family and I continueto suffer from a barrage of health problems. I suffer from breathlessness, chronicheadaches, loss of eyesight and I am unable to do any hard labour…our earningsare cut in half due to health problems.”Laxmi Bai, Bhopal disaster survivor


The explosion at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal in 1984 caused – and is still causing –appalling suffering, yet Dow is not willing to be held responsible in any way

© R

aghu Rai/G

reenpeace

repair. To avoid having thecommunity be “unduly alarmed” dueto occasional leaks, the siren in thefactory had been switched off.

Toxic hotspot contamination

Twenty years later the UnionCarbide factory is desolate andovergrown, but widespread healthproblems continue. The explosionnot only killed up to eight thousandBhopalis in its immediate aftermath.Since the disaster, over 20,000people have died from exposure-related illnesses. Communityorganizations in Bhopal put theinjury figure at approximately500,000.5 An estimated 120,000remain chronically ill at least a thirdof whom are too ill to work for aliving.6 The problems have beenpassed to children born since thedisaster, the most visible of whichinclude reproductive and physicaldevelopment deficits and high ratesof morbidity. Incidences of TB,respiratory disorders, cancers,infertility, panic attacks menstrualdisorders and cataracts are alsoway above the national average.About 30 gas victims continue to diein hospitals every month. One studyfound growth retardation in boyswho were exposed as toddlers orwere born to exposed parents.7

At the site itself Union Carbide leftbehind at least five thousand tons ofwaste chemicals when it vacatedthe site four years before the DowChemicals merger.8 These chemicalslie in open sheds and warehouses.

The environmental contamination ofthe site has rendered theneighbourhood a dangerous placeto live. Greenpeace has declared thesite a “global toxic hotspot”.9

Poisons leaching from these wasteshave contaminated the groundwatersupplying 20,000 people. Studieshave found many of these poisonsin the breast milk of mothers livingnear the factory.10

Dow’s liabilities

But despite the scale of thecontinuing tragedy, Union Carbideand now Dow have not been willingto be held responsible in any way.The original settlement claim of $3billion was reduced to $470 milliondollars in an out of court settlementnegotiated between theGovernment of India and thecompany without involving thesurvivors. It took until 1989 forUnion Carbide to pay even this. The amount worked out toapproximately $1170 for death and$520 for lifelong injury per person.The compensation didn’t addressthe issue of lost livelihoods anddidn’t even cover loans for medicalbills. In total the compensationamounted to less than a tenth of thepenalty against Exxon for the Valdezoil spill in Alaska – where nobodydied. Dow’s subsidiary, UnionCarbide is an “absconder fromjustice” by the Chief BhopalMagistrate for failing to appearbefore the court on criminal chargesrelating to the disaster.11 Likewise,an extradition order has been issued

by the Indian government for WarrenAnderson, former CEO of UnionCarbide at the time of the disaster.He is also absconding from justice.Efforts are underway to summonDow to deliver Union Carbide toappear in the criminal case and tohave Dow clean up the Bhopal site.12

Since Dow absorbed Union Carbidefor $11.6 billion it has been quick toproclaim itself the world’s largestchemical producer. Has it alsobecome the world’s mostirresponsible? Dow, like UnionCarbide before it, accepts noresponsibility for the continuedsuffering in Bhopal. In its 2002public report the company tells us,“When Union Carbide Corporationbecame a subsidiary of The DowChemical Company in February2001, the civil litigation in India hadbeen resolved for a decade.”13

Putting things more bluntly, KathyHunt, Dow’s Public Affairs specialist,said in July of 2002 that, “$500 isplenty good for an Indian.”14

Indeed, rather than accept itsresponsibilities Dow has taken avery combative stance. Forexample, in 2003 it initiated a$10,000 lawsuit against a group ofBhopal survivors that held apeaceful protest outside thecompany’s Mumbai headquarters,claiming damages due to lostproductivity.15


in Bhopal


Bhopal testimonies

Rashida Bee

Rashida Bee, winner of the 2004Goldman Environmental Prize, ispresident of the Bhopal Gas PeeditMahila Stationery KarmachariSangh, a trade union of womensurvivors working for justice for thesurvivors. She has lost five gas-exposed family members tocancers since the disaster.

“Those who escaped with theirlives are the unlucky ones; thelucky ones are those who died onthat night.

“Dow is responsible for the toxiccontamination of ground water andsoil in and around the abandonedfactory premises.

“The dumping of tons of chemicalwaste is a major health hazard andis causing all kinds of illnesses toover 20,000 area residents.

“Dow must take responsibility forcleansing the water in the locality,undertake rehabilitation of thepeople and ensure propermedication to two generations ofsufferers.

“The compensation should directlybe deposited into the gas victims’accounts rather than be given tothe Government.

“Already great injustice has beendone to the people of Bhopal, whohave been paid measly sums ascompensation and denied theirlegal rights in receiving interest.”

Laxmi Bai was 24 at the time ofthe gas disaster

“At the time of the disaster I wasliving in Jai Prakash Nagar with mythree kids and my husband. JaiPrakash Nagar is located rightacross from the factory. On thenight of the disaster I was sleepingwith my family and around midnightI went to urinate. I had this burningsensation in my eyes as if someonewas burning chillies. I lookedoutside my house and all I couldsee was a thick cloud of smoke.

“All of us were under the blanketand we were all vomiting. Wecouldn’t see anything and all oureyes were swollen. Only in themorning we found out that it wasthe gas from the Union Carbidefactory that had leaked.

“My family and I continue to sufferfrom barrage of health problems. Isuffer from breathlessness, chronicheadaches, loss of eyesight and Iam unable to do any hard labor.

“My daughters suffer from chronicstomach problems; loss ofappetite, headaches. There areeven health problems in mygrandkids. They are weak andsuffer from problems ofbreathlessness.

“Our earnings are cut into half dueto our health problems. We allmerely received compensationworth Rs 25000 (US $500) eachand we have spent all of thatmoney if not more in medical billsbecause we have taken loans tocover our medical costs.”

Nazeer Ahmed was 20 years oldon the night of the disaster

“All my family members receivedcompensation of Rs 25000 (US$500) each, which was barelyenough to cover our medical bills.All my siblings had to quit schoolbecause there was no money leftfor their education.

“Union Carbide cannot give backmy father and my childhood whereI was forced to work when I shouldhave been studying. All my familyand community members didn’tonly suffer on the night of Dec 2nd,1984 but they continue to suffereven after 19 years. Everyone haslost their health, their ability towork; lost their family members.

“I would like Dow ChemicalCompany to take its responsibilityfor Bhopal disaster and provide foreconomic rehabilitation, socialsupport for widows and orphans,medical treatment for next twogenerations.”

Rubina was three years old on thenight of the disaster

“The gas leak from the Carbidefactory has left scars on my familyand me that will never heal.


“I hold Union Carbide and nowDow Chemical fully responsible forthis disaster. Union Carbide nevertold any of the residents livingaround the factory about the toxicand lethal chemicals that werebeing manufactured in the factory.I want Dow Chemical to assumetheir responsibility for Bhopal.

“I would never want anyone in thisworld to suffer like Bhopal gassurvivors have been suffering forlast 20 years. We not only have tofight to ensure justice for Bhopal,but also to ensure that there are‘No more Bhopals anywhere in theworld.”

Sameena Khan was 14 on thenight of the disaster

“The medical treatment thatstarted on the day of the disasteris on till date. I suffer from frequentheadaches, joint pain, heartburnand breathlessness. My otherfamily members and other peoplefrom my community also sufferfrom similar medical and economicproblems. I lost both of my parentswithin two years after the disaster.

“Dow needs to assume itsresponsibility in cleaning up thefactory premises. There are stilltons of toxic waste sitting in thefactory that has contaminated soiland water around the factory andabout 20,000 people are affectedon a daily basis. The water ispolluted with mercury andmothers’ breast milk now containsmercury. This is the situation of my

family and community after 20years and it is time that DowChemical starts listening to us.”

Sheila Devi was 43 on the night ofthe disaster

“After being exposed to MIC myfamily members have never beenhealthy. I suffer frombreathlessness and constant painin my joints. My husband sufferedfrom weak eyesight and his lungswere completely destroyed.

“After struggling with severalcomplex problems induced by gasexposure he eventually died in1997. My daughter’s kidney hasbeen damaged due to gasexposure. My other childrencomplain of constant pain in joints,weakness, breathlessness,diminished vision, andreproductive health problems.

“The total compensation receivedby my 9 family members was Rs10,800 (US $ 2,200) and I musthave spent at least 500,000 (US$11,500) on my family’s medicaltreatment.

“I want Dow Chemical the newowner of Union Carbide to providejobs to gas survivors and socialsupport to those who are not ableto work due to gas exposure. I alsowant Dow Chemical to release thetoxicology information on MIC andall the chemicals that leaked thatnight so that at least we can geteffective treatment.”

Survivors campaign forjustice

Female victims of the gas leakhave launched a campaign tomake sure Dow is held responsiblefor the disaster.

The survivors are asking Dow to:

• Ensure that the accused facetrial in India,

• provide long term health carefor the continuing and long-termhealth consequences among theexposed persons and theirchildren,

• provide economic and socialsupport to those have lost theirability to work or their livelihooddue to gas exposure, and

• clean up the toxic wastes,contaminated material andpoisoned groundwater in andaround the abandoned UnionCarbide factory site in Bhopal.

Dow has not only refused to cleanup the factory site, it has not evenprovided any further informationon the nature of the toxic gas soas to help with the treatment of thesurvivors.


The Dow in all of us

Every person alive today hassynthetic chemicals running throughtheir veins.1 Many of thesechemicals did not even exist beforeWW II. A good number have beenproduced by Dow. Its chemicals arecollecting in our fatty tissue andconfusing our hormone systems.Much of our food contains pesticideresidues. Other chemicals aresprayed on fields or gardens andenter the air, soil and water. Sochemicals enter our bodies when weeat, breath and drink. We pick upcontaminants by touching dust orearth.

In 2003 the Center for DiseaseControl (CDC) undertook the mostextensive study to date ofpesticides and industrial chemicalsin the bodies of people across theUS.2 The scientists looked for just116 of the thousands of chemicalsin modern use and they found all116 of these chemicals the bloodand urine of the random people theytested. There are likely to behundreds more. It is estimated thatthere are 700 contaminants in eachof us.3 Of up to 1.2 billion pounds ofpesticides used each year in the USno one knows exactly how manyend up in our bodies or what the

long term effects of exposure mightbe. Virtually nothing is understoodof how these chemicals interact witheach other inside our bodies.

Scientists have already discoveredpotential harm from exposure tosome individual chemicals rangesfrom reduced fertility anddevelopmental damage in ourunborn children to neurologicaldisorders and cancers. Evenexposure to miniscule amounts ofsome chemicals can be harmful,especially to infants and childrenwhose bodies are developingquickly and taking in much morefood, water, air and chemicals perpound of body weight than adults.The pesticide residues and otherchemicals are in our food, ourcosmetics and our pets’ flea collars.They are in the water we drink andthe air we breathe. They are evenpresent in mothers’ wombs andbreast milk.4

Accumulating pesticides

The burden of pesticides in ourbodies increases throughout ourlives because of ongoing exposureto contaminated air, water and food.Dow is one of a handful ofcompanies producing the over-

whelming majority of an estimated940 million pesticides used in theUS every year.5 Our exposure to itspesticides increases over the courseof our lives. Some pesticides stay inour bodies for decades and arepassed to the next generation.Although others are moretemporary, if they are constantlyused, we are constantly exposed.

For example, Dow was one of thecompanies that produced thenotorious organochlorineinsecticide, dichloro diphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).6 Thispesticide affects the human nervoussystem, can cause liver damage, iscarcinogenic, is a developmental/reproductive toxin and suspectedendocrine disruptor.7 Onceconsidered a cure-all, it was usedfor agricultural production aroundthe world from the 1940s until 1973when it was finally banned in theUS. Even today it is used as aninsecticide in some countries.8

Not only can DDT remain in thebody for 50 years, residues couldstill be finding their way into thefood chain. A recent analysis oforganochlorine residues in the USfood by the Pesticide Action

“Human milk, is the most chemically contaminated human food on the planet.Breast milk occupies one rung higher on the human food chain, than the food thatadults eat...toilet deodorisers, moth-proofing agents, flame retardants, pesticides,dioxins, PCBs. These are the most common contaminants of breast milk. They arecommonly found in the food, but are ten to a hundred times higher in breast milkbecause they are persistent and concentrate as they move up the food chain.”Sandra Steingraber, Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture, 2003


Network, found chemicals that havebeen banned for decades areshowing up consistently in foodsamples tested by the US Food andDrug Administration. Breakdownproducts of DDT can remain in thesoil and are easily carried on thewind and in water.9

Some of Dow’s products, like DDT,have been banned in the US butthey are still being found in theremotest regions of the planet andin most people’s blood or body fat.Others cause birth defects andreproductive problems. Some causecancer or are suspected to bemimicking and tricking hormones,causing metabolic anddevelopmental havoc in people andwildlife around the world.10

Health activists on thechemical body burden we allshare

The following extracts are fromSharyle Patton and Gary Cohen’spaper, Building the Right to KnowAbout Chemical Body Burden andStopping the Chemical Industry’sToxic Trespass.11

“In general the public is more awareof chemicals found in the fish theyconsume or the data from toxicrelease inventories than they knowabout the chemicals found in theirown bodies. But there is a deeppsychological significance inknowing that the tissues of one’sbody are being used as a chemicalstorage site.

“…the United Nations Human RightsCommission has recognized theright to a non-polluted environmentas a basic human right. TheConvention on the Rights of a Childprotect the child’s right to integrityof person and right to the highestpossible standard of mental andphysical health. By anyone’sdefinition of basic human rights, thefact that infants are starting life witha body burden of chemicalsrepresents a gross violation ofhuman rights and a violation of thesacredness of life itself.

“One of the results of theNuremburg Trials after World War IIwas a universal agreement thatcivilized nations should not engagein chemical experimentation onhumans, even in times of war. Yet forthe last sixty years, the chemicalindustry has engaged in a massivechemical experiment on the world’shuman population and the entireweb of life.

“No one has ever given their consentfor this experiment. Most peopledon’t even know it is happening.”

Sandra Steingraber on theimplications of this bodyburden

In her book, Having Faith: AnEcologist's Journey to Motherhood,Steingraber reveals the alarmingextent to which environmentalhazards – from industrial poisonsfound in amniotic fluid to the toxiccontamination of breast milk – nowthreaten each crucial stage of infantdevelopment.12

“If our daughter asks, 'What's a troutstream?' what will I say? Will Iexplain that freshwater trout are nowamong the most contaminated fishin America, far too poisonous for herto eat? Will I tell her that ourgovernment is willing to warn heragainst eating trout but reluctant tostop trout from being poisoned inthe first place?13

“If a mother’s body is contaminated,so too is the child who inhabits it.These truths should inspire us all –mothers, fathers, grandparents,doctors, midwives, and everyoneconcerned about future generations– to action.14

“We need to remind everyone –friends, neighbors, and politicalleaders – that all toxic chemicalscapable of accumulating in thehuman food chain will, sooner orlater, reach their highestconcentrations in the milk of humanmothers.15

“…human milk, is the mostchemically contaminated humanfood on the planet…Breast milkoccupies one rung higher on thehuman food chain, than the foodthat adults eat...toilet deodorisers,moth-proofing agents, flameretardants, pesticides, dioxins,PCBs. These are the most commoncontaminants of breast milk. Theyare commonly found in the food, butare ten to a hundred times higher inbreast milk because they arepersistent and concentrate as theymove up the food chain.”16

The implications

Among Dow’s most poisonouslegacies is the pesticide,chlorpyrifos, marketed by Dow asDursban and Lorsban. Well-knownas a home and garden insect spray,Dursban, was the most widely usedhousehold pesticide in the US until2000.1 Millions of pounds of Lorsbanare used on agricultural products.But the ordinary people who haverelied on chlorpyrifos to kill theirgarden pests or protect their cropshave been largely unaware of theextent of its toxicity.

The pesticide is a nerve toxin andsuspected endocrine disruptor withthe potential to alter and interferewith the hormonal systems ofinsects, wildlife and people. Sincethe 1960s, chlorpyrifos has madethousands of people sick each yearin the US.2, 3 It causes neurologicaldamage to children and can result inblurred vision, fatigue, muscleweakness, memory loss anddepression. It has been associatedwith carcinogenicity, reproductiveand developmental toxicity,neurotoxicity, and acute toxicity.4, 5

When the Center for DiseaseControl (CDC) specifically trackedlevels of chlorpyrifos in the bodiesof people across the US, its findingswere ominous. Chlorpyrifos wasfound in 93 per cent of peopletested and levels in children weretwice as high as those found inadults.6, 7

Unhealthy profits?

By 1998 the evidence that Dursbancan cause severe health problemswas overwhelming, but not onlywere Dursban products still beingsold over the counter, Dow wasprepared to risk the health of 60Nebraskans paid to be tested withthe insecticide.8

The US Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) finally fined Dow$732,000 in 1995 for failing todisclose reports of the adverseeffects associated with Dursban.Even then, in the face ofoverwhelming evidence to thecontrary, Dow continued to assert itwas safe for humans. Although Dowstill professes the chemical is safe, itfinally and reluctantly entered into avoluntary agreement with the EPA.Dursban was removed from themarket in over-the-counter productsin 2000.9


Our Dursban burden“Pesticides are toxic substances that should be used with great caution…Bymisleading consumers about the potential dangers associated with the use of theirproducts, Dow's ads may have endangered human health and the environment byencouraging people to use their products without proper care.”New York State Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, December 2003

Levels of chlorpyrifos have been found to be twice has high in children as in adults

BananaS

tock


Somehow, Dow has still managed toavoid an outright ban however. It isstill using chlorpyrifos in the US fora limited number of domestic usesalthough some are being phasedout. It is still used on a number ofagricultural products such ascotton, almonds, alfalfa, orangesand walnuts. Up to ten millionpounds of chlorpyrifos are appliedannually for agricultural purposesand in California, more than twomillion pounds of chlorpyrifos wereused in 2000.10

We can be exposed to chlorpyrifosby touching treated surfaces,breathing air near application sitesand eating food contaminated withchlorpyrifos residues. Theseexposures take place in pesticideproduction plants, agricultural fields,homes schools and parks.Symptoms of exposure includeexcessive salivation, uncontrolled

urination, weakness, nausea,diarrhea, headaches, confusion,convulsions and respiratoryparalysis.11 According to the EPA,even a single application ofchlorpyrifos poses risks to smallmammals, birds, fish and aquaticinvertebrate species for nearly allregistered outdoor uses.12

Double standards

Even so, US citizens can countthemselves lucky that at least mostchlorpyrifos used around the homeis being phased out. But it is onerule for the US and another rule forthe rest of the world. Dow continuesto produce and sell chlorpyrifos incountries in the Global Southincluding India.

In 2003 tests conducted by theDelhi NGO Centre for Science andEnvironment found pesticide

residues in Indian Coca Cola andPepsi Cola products, includingchlorpyrifos in excess of EU drinkingwater standards.13 Dow alsocontinues to market Dursban as aready-to-use formulation in Indiawhere its sales literature claimedDursban has "an established recordof safety regarding humans andpets”, uses which are banned in theUS.

But even back in the USA peoplearen’t safe from Dow’s irresponsibleand deceitful advertising. Dowcontinued to illegally advertisesafety claims about Dursban andother pesticides. In December 2003Attorney General Eliot Spitzer finallyawarded Dow the largest pesticideenforcement penalty in U.S.history.14

Dow’s impacts stretch well beyondthe cases illustrated in this report. Aselection of the company’s otherhistorical and current, social andenvironmental liabilities include:

Chemical warfare: Dow has anignominious history of weaponproduction. In World War I Dowproduced mustard gas. DuringWorld War II it was the leadingmanufacturer of Phenol, a majorexplosives ingredient, and duringthe Cold War Dow producedplutonium triggers for nuclearweapons. In addition to AgentOrange, Agent White and otherdefoliants used in the Vietnam war,Dow also produced napalm whichconsisted of benzene, gasoline andpolystyrene. The jellied liquidexplosive stuck to the skin, burnedthrough muscle and bone and oftenkilled people on contact. The uniqueproperties of napalm were sooffensive Dow became a primetarget of anti-war protestors.

Asbestos: In addition to the Bhopalinheritance, Dow’s merger withUnion Carbide has brought with it arange of other legacies such asasbestos.1 Carbide used asbestosfor insulation in its chemical plantsand marketed calidria asbestos for avariety of products such as floor andceiling tiles.2 Asbestos poses aserious health risk. Inhaling thefibers greatly increases the odds ofcontracting asbestosis,mesothelioma, lung cancer,gastrointestinal cancer and othercancers.3 EPA has called asbestos a"highly potent carcinogen" that

causes "severe health effects aftereven short-term, high-level orlonger-term, low-level exposure."4

Union Carbide has been found liablefor thousands of asbestos-relatedillnesses and deaths.5 As a result,Dow has declared its potentialasbestos liabilities could be up to2.2 billion dollars.6

Semiconductor chemicals: UnionCarbide has also been a majorsupplier to the semiconductorindustry which uses its chemicals inthe manufacturing of silicon chipsfor computer devices. Workers areclaiming their exposure tohazardous substances is linked to avariety of cancers, miscarriages andbirth defects. Union Carbide, IBMand National Semiconductor haveall been named in lawsuits.7

Forgotten workers: The MetalsDepartment of the AmericanFederation of Labor – Congress ofIndustrial Organizations (ALF-CIO)released a report titled Dow’s UnionWorkers – The ForgottenStakeholders in 2003 thathighlighted Union Workers concernsthat the company’s rank and fileworkers end up paying the price forits legal liabilities. The company’sexecutives and board are ultimatelyresponsibility for Dow’senvironmental and social impacts.The report asks why then, it appearsto be the workers that get laid off,whose contracts suffer and whosepay gets cut.8

Silicone: Another key Dow productthat brought health problems in itswake is the silicone used in plasticsurgery. Marketed by Dow Corning,a joint enterprise half owned byDow, it was first used for breastimplants in the early 1960s.9 Manyimplants leaked and ruptured andthousands of women allegedadverse reactions to the implants.10

A plethora of lawsuits ensued.11 DowCorning expects to emerge frombankruptcy in 2004.12

Genetic modification: Since Dowannounced in 1998 that it wouldbegin “pursuing long-term, value-added growth opportunities throughbiotechnology”, it has been true toits word.13 Today, Dow, led by itssubsidiary Dow AgroSciences, is amajor player in the agriculturalbiotechnology world. Product linesinclude Mycogen Seeds, Bt cornand Atlas Roundup Readysoybeans. Dow is also pursuingindustrial and pharmaceuticalbiotechnology applications.

Genetically modified (GM) crops arecreated when bioengineers insertone or more genes into a plant’sDNA. There is worldwide concernthat GM crops increase reliance onpesticides, deepen agribusinesscontrol over farmers and underminefood security and sovereignty.14

Most biotech seeds are licensed tofarmers, not sold. It then becomesillegal for farmers to engage intraditional practices such asreplanting, saving, trading, sharingor breeding seeds. In its 2002annual report Monsanto admitted


Cruel profile – a selection of

that research and development ofGM crops will result in the spreadingof GM traits to non-GM crops.15

In 2002 Dow contributed nearly$400,000 to a $5 million advertisingcampaign opposing a ballot initiativethat would have led to the labelingof GM foods. Dow and the otheropponents spent 61 times theamount supporters of labeling wereable to spend on their advertising.16

Blocking European chemicalregulation: The US chemicalindustry, including Dow, wasinstrumental in persuading the BushAdministration to block the efforts ofthe European Union to reduce therisks of chemical exposure.According to a 2004 report from USHouse Representative, Henry AWaxman, The Chemical Industry,The Bush Administration, andEuropean Efforts to RegulateChemicals, Dow and the rest of theindustry vigorously lobbied inopposition to draft European policyknown as Registration, Evaluation,and Authorisation of Chemicals(REACH).17, 18

REACH would require strictermanagement of chemicalsdepending on their risk and requirecompanies to provide scientific dataon the intrinsic properties andhazards of each substance.19 TheEuropean Commission estimatesREACH could prevent between2,200 to 4,300 occupational cancercases per year. Health benefits ofREACH could be up to $61 billionover a 30-year period.20 Dow

operated through industry tradeorganisations such as theAmerican Chemistry Council tolobby against these newprotective measures.21

No expense is spared in thelobbying game. The AmericanChemistry Council spent $4.68million lobbying in Washington in thefirst half of 1996 alone.22 Thechemical industry is also a regularcampaign contributor with access tosenior Administration officials. From1998 to 2002 Dow spent$12,210,000 on Washingtonlobbying – an average of more than$2.4 million a year.23 As a whole theindustry has given over $21 millionin campaign contributions since thestart of the 2000 election cycle.24

A few more pesticides: Dow’spesticide and herbicide portfolioextends well beyond the DDT,DBCP, chlorpyrifos, Agent Orangeand Agent White already discussed.Dow has also produced:

• Clopyralid, a herbicide usedwidely on lawns and wheat crops.25

This has been found at harmfullevels in commercial and municipalcompost in Washington, California,Pennsylvania and New Zealand.26

Dow withdrew clopyralid for use onresidential lawns in the US in 2002.The chemical is a potentialgroundwater contaminant.27

• Haloxyfop, a herbicide that theEPA would not register because ofconcerns that it is a probable humancarcinogen. This herbicide is soldthroughout the world as Gallant and

Verdict.28 It is just one of manypesticides that can be manufacturedin the US, applied abroad and thenreturn as residue on importedfoods.29

• Nuarimol, a fungicide causingcancer and birth defects inanimals.30 Not registered in the USbut sold in Africa, Colombia,Honduras and Europe.31

• Oxyfluorfen, a herbicideclassified by EPA as a possiblehuman carcinogen.32

• Telone, a soil fumigant that isalso a ground water contaminantand carcinogen. One of its activeingredients, 1,3-dichloropropeneproduces cancer and birth defectsin animals.33

• Sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane), afumigant used to kill termites andother pests. Restricted for extremeacute toxicity. In 2002 EPA grantedDow a three year experimentalpermit to use sulfuryl fluoride as apost-harvest crop fumigant onwalnuts and raisins to evaluate itsefficacy and safety.34


other impacts

Dow assures us: It is meeting thecorporate sustainability challenge andis quick to report that it is “among thetop companies in terms of corporatesustainability in the chemical industry”according to the Dow JonesSustainability index.1

The truth is: Dow has not only beenpolluting property and poisoningpeople since it was established in the1890s – Dow continues to pollute andpoison to this day.

• There are toxic concentrations ofdioxin up to 80 times higher than theMichigan state criterion for 20 milesfrom the Dow Midland plant,2

• chlorpyrifos is in the bodies of upto 93 per cent of Americans. Dow isthe primary manufacturer ofchlorpyrifos. An estimated ten millionpounds are still applied annually foragricultural purposes,3

• Dow is still marketing chlopyrifosfor use in over-the-counter productsoutside the US, and

• in Louisiana 275 million pounds ofDow’s toxic sludge stretches for milesunder homes, businesses, schools

and playgrounds.4, 5

Dow profits: Breaking through to the‘Fortune 50’ in this year's magazineranking of the largest publicly heldcompanies, Dow came in at No. 44with $5 billion more in revenue thanrival DuPont.6 Chief Executive andChairman W. S. Stavropoulos alsoreceived a bonus of $2.3 million in2003.7

Meanwhile: As Stravropoulos andthe company reap these financialgains, farmworkers suffering fromDBCP poisoning, victims of theBhopal gas disaster, VietnameseAgent Orange survivors and Midlandand Saginaw residents whoseproperties are contaminated withdioxins are all still waiting forappropriate financial compensationfrom Dow. Union Workers are alsoconcerned that it is the company’srank and file workers who end uppaying the price for its legal liabilities.

Dow aspires: “As a multinationalcorporation with growth aspirations ina more complex world, we alsobelieve that stakeholder engagementis a valuable, collaborative effortbased on a mutual commitment to ashared goal - a sustainable world.”

The truth is: Dow has not engaged inmeaningful dialogue with Bhopal’sgas victims, DBCP poisonedfarmworkers in Nicaragua or MyrtleGrove trailer park residents whodrank vinyl chloride contaminatedwater for five years. When Dow andother companies were sued by DBCPaffected workers in Nicaragua in 2002it did not even participate in its own

trial. In India, too, Dow has taken nosteps to make Carbide appear in thecriminal trial ongoing against it in aBhopal court. Dow has been swift todeny any links between its wastesand well water contamination inMyrtle Grove, Plaquemine. People inNicaragua, Bhopal and Myrtle Groveare not impressed with Dow’s talk ofstakeholder engagement.

Dow reassures: “Like other SaginawValley residents, we care about thehealth of the river.” 8

Says Dow. In 2004 Susan Carrington,Dow’s vice president and director ofthe company’s Michigan dioxininitiative said, Dow “is committed tostepping up and doing what is right”,however, “Based on everything weknow, it’s unlikely that anyone in thiscommunity has absorbed enoughdioxin from soils to have any healtheffects.” 9

The truth: If Dow is genuinelycommitted to stepping up and doingwhat is right by the Tittabawasseeresidents it will stop prevaricating.Dow will clean up the dioxincontamination and fund themonitoring and treatment of healthimplications. Dow's own studies inthe 1970s showed cancer at very lowlevels as a result of exposure todioxins which also can cause a widerange of non-cancer health effectsincluding reproductive,developmental, immunological, andendocrine system disrpution. 10, 11

Some levels of the Tittabawassee farexceed state safety requirements setto protect people's health. It isdifficult to square these findings with

Greenwashand corporate


Susan Carrington's confidence in thehealth of the community.

Dow boasts: It takes “ResponsibleCare®”, through “a voluntary initiativewithin the global chemical industry tosafely handle our products frominception in the research laboratory,through manufacture and distribution,to ultimate disposal, and to involvethe public in our decision-makingprocesses.”

The truth is: In addition to Dow’simplication in the suffering illustratedin this report and elsewhere, Dowfacilities had more accidents in theUS than any other ResponsibleCare® company except BP between1990 and 2003. A 2004 report fromthe US. Public Interest ResearchGroup (US PIRG), Irresponsible Care:How the Chemical Industry Fails toProtect the Public From ChemicalAccidents reveals Dow and the otherchemical companies enrolled in theResponsible Care® voluntary safetyprogram had more than 1,800accidents a year since 1990.12 Therewas also no downward trend amongcompanies implementingResponsible Care® between 1999and 2004.13

Dow empathises: “The terribletragedy that occurred in Bhopal morethan 18 years ago should never beforgotten. Industry, including Dow,has learned from such events and wetry to do all we can to assure thatsimilar events never happen again.” 14

But as far as Dow is concerned, “Allresponsibility related to the Bhopalaccident has been fully and fairly

resolved.”

The truth: Eighteen members ofCongress sent a letter to Dow in July2003 condemning the corporation for"refusing to address" its liabilitiesassociated with the Bhopal gasdisaster. The letter states, "It isdisheartening to note that a companysuch as Dow, who professes to leadthe chemical industry towards'responsible care' shies away from itsobligations when truly responsiblecare can be demonstrated.” “Moredisturbing is the manner in whichUnion Carbide and Dow Chemicalhave ignored the summons of theBhopal court. This exposes a blatantdisregard for the law.” 15

William S. Stavropoulos Chairmanand Chief Executive Officerpronounces: “While the Codes ofPractice may vary from country tocountry, the spirit of Responsible Careis the same: to protect people and theenvironment.” 16

The truth: Dow’s historical track-record and current failures suggest itis swift to profit from the differencesbetween countries’ ability to protecttheir citizens’ health. Dow continuedto ship DBCP around the world yearsafter it was banned in the US. It stillmarkets chlorpyrifos for domestic usein India, a practice discontinued in theUS. Dow’s out-of-court settlementsfor Bhopalis and Nicaraguanssuffering from the aftermath of thegas explosion and DBCP poisoningdo not even cover medical costs.Populations everywhere should beprotected from Dow’s poisons.

Poorer countries or those with weakerlegislation shouldn’t be anyexception.

Dow says it delivers valuedproducts: “Our materials play acritical role in meeting the world’sneeds for pure water. FilmTecmembranes are used to tap intopreviously unusable water sources tomake safe affordable drinking wateraround the world.” 17

The truth: At the abandoned UnionCarbide factory in Bhopal, volatileorganic compounds have beenseeping into the water that suppliesabout 20,000 people for at least 20years. Some Tittabawassee Riverfish are too contaminated to beeaten. People were drinking vinylchloride contaminated water inLouisiana for at least five yearswithout being informed of thecontamination. The source of thepoison is still unidentified although aDow facility is an alleged source. InVietnam people are still suffering fromthe effects of severe dioxin poisoningbecause they had no alternative butto drink water contaminated withAgent Orange. People living andworking on banana plantationsaround the world have been at risk ofdrinking DBCP pesticidecontaminated water. CDC studiessuggest we are all at risk of drinkingwater contaminated with pesticidesor synthetic chemicals due to thewidespread contamination ofgroundwater.


irresponsibility


Conclusion

• Dow must stop producing chemicals and chemicalproducts, and stop chemical processes thatjeopardize health or the environment,

• Dow must stop producing persistent organicpollutants or products which create POPs in their lifecycle, and stop selling products that are known tocause cancer, birth defects and/or genetic damage,and those that disrupt hormonal messaging, causedevelopmental changes or diminish intelligence,

• Dow must not launch any new product until all itstoxicological and ecological effects have beenthoroughly investigated and made public,

• Dow must not produce or sell products anywhereelse in the world which are banned in the US.Specifically Dow must stop all sales of chlorpyrifosin other countries for uses prohibited in the US,

• in Michigan Dow must dredge and clean up thedioxin contaminated Tittabawassee floodplain andsurrounding areas, set up a fund to monitor andtreat the health implications of the contaminationand adequately compensate residents for fallingproperty values,

• Dow must take responsibility for the continuingtragedy in Bhopal. Dow must ensure that theaccused face trial in India, provide long term healthcare for the continuing health consequences amongthe exposed, provide economic and social supportto those that have lost their ability to work or theirlivelihoods due to gas exposure, clean up thepoison that contaminates the ground water and soilin and around the abandoned Union Carbide factoryand provide relevant information on the nature ofthe toxic gas to help with the treatment of survivors.

• in Plaquemine, Louisiana Dow must clean up all thetoxic waste it is responsible for and compensate thepeople poisoned by its toxic wastes as appropriate,

• Dow must stop evading justice in Nicaragua andpay compensation to Nicaraguan workers and theirfamilies suffering from its DBCP poisoning, and

• Dow must address the damage it has caused inVietnam and adequately compensate theVietnamese victims of Agent Orange contaminationand Vietnam veterans seeking redress for healtheffects associated with Agent Orange exposure.

Dow spends millions on its marketing and PR andemploys some of the world's leading public relationsagencies such as Ketchum Inc. It produces a glossyand reassuring Global Public Report and a plethora ofregionally focused Public Reports around the world.Dow's chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer,William S. Stavropoulos, is quick to boast of Dow'svalues and its high standards of environmental steward-ship, and corporate social responsibility.

Through campaign contributions, at conferences, inlobby groups and through targeted donations Dowmakes sure it isn't adequately regulated and doesn'tpay compensation commensurate to the suffering it hascaused.Through its PR Dow attempts to detractattention from its poisonous legacies. Through financial

contributions Dow has sought to evade transparency.By conducting in-house research, participating in uni-versity research and donating thousands of dollarsaimed at funding research studies that will further theirbusiness, Dow ensures its own world view prevails.

The ordinary people featured in this report urgeWilliam S. Stavropoulos and the other seniorexecutives at Dow to spend less time on the lobby-ing, advertising and influencing science and moretime making a difference where it matters most -cleaning up its poisons, reforming its product line,and compensating the victims of its toxic legacies.

Dow’s to do list

More about Agent Orangeand Vietnam’s trauma

The Britain-Vietnam FriendshipSociety has initiated a petition tothe US Government. In March 2004more than 4,000 concerned peoplefrom around the world had put theirsignatures to the petitiondemonstrating the global reach ofsolidarity and sympathy with theAgent Orange sufferers. The petitioncan be signed atwww.petitiononline.com/AOVN/petition.html

The Vietnam Association of AgentOrange Victims may be contacted atHanoi, str, Linh Lan, 11/41Vietnam

More information on theTittabawassee Rivercontamination

Tittabawassee River Watch (TRW) An organization of concernedproperty owners along the riverpromoting the protection of theirhomes, health, and river from theeffects of Dow’s dioxincontamination:www.trwnews.net

Lone Tree CouncilA community-based, environmentalorganization. The group workstoward cleaner air, water and soil inthe Saginaw Valley.

The Ecology Center (EC)A membership-based, non-profitenvironmental organization based inAnn Arbor, Michigan. The Center is

a regional leader in the struggle forclean air, safe water, healthycommunities, and environmentaljustice.www.ecocenter.org/healthdow.shtml

Michigan Department ofEnvironmental Quality (DEQ)Information on dioxins in Michigan.www.michigan.gov

Michigan Department ofCommunity HealthMore information on dioxins inMichigan.www.michigan.gov

DioxinSpinEstablished to gather and shareinformation about the many issuesassociated with dioxincontamination in Midland and in theadjacent Tittabawassee River. DavidLindhardt, A former Dow ChemicalEngineer with 28 years of tenure,has created this web site.www.dioxinspin.com

The Center for Health,Environment and Justice (CHEJ)Coordinates the Alliance for SafeAlternatives a national campaign toeliminate persistent toxic chemicalssuch as dioxin. The campaign ismade up of over 500 groups,including farmers, environmentaljustice groups, faith-based groups,public health advocates, VietnamVeterans, scientists, and communityleaders all working to get persistentchemicals out of our air, soil, waterand food.www.chej.org/

ScorecardA source of free and easilyaccessible local environmentalinformation. Type in a zip code tolearn about environmental issues inyour community. Scorecard ranksand compares the pollution situationin areas across the US. Scorecardalso profiles 6,800 chemicals,making it easy to find out wherethey are used and how hazardousthey are. www.scorecard.org

More information on DBCP,bananas, multinationals andCentral America

The Nicaragua NetworkIs committed to social andeconomic justice for Nicaragua,Latin America and the world, basedon respect for sovereignty and self-determination. The Networkadvocates for sound US foreignpolicies that respect human rightsand international law. The NicaraguaNetwork provides information andorganizing tools to a network of 200solidarity, sister city, and peace andjustice committees across the US.www.nicanet.org

US/Labour Education in theAmericas Project (US/LEAP)Is an independent organization thatsupports economic justice andbasic rights for workers in CentralAmerica, Colombia, the DominicanRepublic, Ecuador, and Mexico.Focuses on the struggles of workerswho are employed directly orindirectly by US companies.www.usleap.org


Want to knowmore?


Want to know more cont

BananalinkA UK organisation working alleviatepoverty and prevent furtherenvironmental degradation in bananaexporting communities, Bananalink isworking towards a sustainable bananaeconomy. It aims to achieve this byworking co-operatively with partners inLatin America, the Caribbean, WestAfrica and the Philippines and with anetwork of European and NorthAmerican organisations.www.bananalink.org.uk

More information on Dow,Union Carbide and theongoing tragedy of Bhopal

International Campaign for Justice inBhopal (ICJB)An umbrella organisation of groups andindividuals who have joined forces tocampaign for justice for the gassurvivors of Bhopal. Spearheaded bysurvivor groups and long-timesupporters.www.bhopal.net

The Sambhavna TrustRun by a group of eight doctors,scientists, writers and social workersinvolved with various aspects of theUnion Carbide disaster ever since itsoccurrence in December 1984.www.bhopal.org

Students for Bhopal A national network of studentscampaigning for the victims of theBhopal disaster, the world's worstindustrial tragedy.www.studentsforbhopal.org

Greenpeace InternationalToxic Hotspots campaign – featuringBhopalwww.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign%5fid=3991

Union Carbide Corporate ProfileProfile of Union Carbide including a listof major spills, a corporate history andexecutive compensation.www.endgame.org/carbide.html

More information on ourchemical body burden

Centers for Disease ControlSecond National Report on HumanExposure to Environmental Chemicals

The second in a series of publicationsthat provide an ongoing assessment ofthe exposure of the US population toenvironmental chemicals usingbiomonitoring. Biomonitoring is theassessment of human exposure tochemicals by measuring the chemicalsor their metabolites in humanspecimens such as blood or urine.www.cdc.gov/exposurereport

Chemical Body BurdenMore information about the chemicalbody burden we all carry and its healtheffects - known and unknown fromComing Clean, a network of groupsand individuals whose common goal isto work together on chemical policiesand campaigns to protect public healthand the environment from exposures toharmful and unstudied chemicals.www.chemicalbodyburden.org

The Sandra Steingraber websiteHas resources on chemicals andreproduction including breastfeeding.www.steingraber.com/

More about chlorpyrifos

Pesticide Action Network NorthAmerica (PANNA)Dow Chemical, overview includinginformation on Dursban.www.panna.org/resources/documents/dow.pdf

Pesticide Action Network (PAN)Pesticides DatabasePAN North America’s pesticidedatabase allows you to search fortoxicity, regulatory and otherinformation by chemical or product.www.pesticideinfo.org

Center for Disease ControlSecond National Report on HumanExposure to Environmental Chemicals

The second in a series of publicationsproviding an ongoing assessment ofthe exposure of the US population toenvironmental chemicals, usingbiomonitoring.www.cdc.gov/exposurereport

Dow Chemical. A rap sheetMore information about Dow Chemicaland Dursban:www.bhopal.net/gda/dow%20-%20rapsheet%20final.doc

Agency for Toxic Substances andDisease Registry (ATSDR)

Agency of the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services providesinformation to prevent harmfulexposures and disease related to toxicsubstances. Its fact sheet onchlorpyrifos is at:www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts84.html


ReferencesAgent Orange – Vietnam trauma

1 Schecter et al, A follow up: High Level ofDioxin Contamination in Vietnamese FromAgent Orange, three decades after thespraying, Letter, Journal of Occupational andEnvironmental Medicine, 44(3): 218-220,March 2002

2 Scott-Clark, C and Levy, A, Spectreorange,The Guardian, UK, Saturday March29, 2003http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,923715,00.html

3 Blumenthal, R, New York Times, NewYork Times,July 6 1983

4 Akhtar et al, Cancer in US Air ForceVeterans of the Vietnam War. Journal ofOccupational and Environmental Medicine.

5 Office of Veteran Affairs, Appendix d:Agent Orange Exposure Related Diseases

6 Wolfe et al Diabetes versus Dioxin BodyBurden in Veterans of Operation Ranch Hand,Finish Institute of Occupational HealthOrganohalogen Compounds 1992: 10: 279-282

7 Development of Impact MitigationStrategies related to the Use of Agent OrangeHerbicide in the Aloui Valley, Vietnam, Vol.1and Vol. 2 April 2000. Also, Agent OrangeVictims Support Fund Benefits over 220,400(Aug1, 2003) The Vietnamese News Agency.

8 Scott-Clark op cit.

9 Dow Chemical: Risks for Investors,Report prepared by Innovest Strategic ValueAdvisors (forthcoming publication)

10 Scott-Clark op cit

11 ibid

12 Dauenhauer, K, Vietnam: Agent OrangeStill Killing after Three Decades, IPS News,July 9, 2003

13 Scott-Clark op cit

14 Case Study: Dioxin, Chemical BodyBurden websitewww.chemicalbodybuden.org/cs_dioxin.htm

15 PAN Pesticide Database, Pesticide ActionNetwork North America,www.pesticideinfo.org

16 Dow Chemical: Risks for Investors op cit

17 Case Study: Dioxin op cit

18 Dow Chemical: Risks for Investors op cit

19 bid

20 ibid

21 ibid

Midland’s dubious endowment

1 Information bulletin 3,Tittabawassee/Saginaw River Flood PlainEnvironmental Assessment Inititiative,Midland, Saginaw and Bay Counties.Michigan Department of EnvironmentalQuality, June 2003http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deqrrd-TR-JUNE_2003Bulletin.pdf

2 Dow web statement,www.dow.com/about/aboutdow/vision.htm

3 Public comment release, PetitionedHealth Consultation. US Dept of Health andHuman Services, May 15, 2002,www.trwnew.net

4 Multi-media risk assessment by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, 1985

5 Birnbaum, L and Farland, W, Health RiskCharacterization of Dioxin and RelatedCompounds; Office of Research andDevelopment, US Environmental ProtectionAgency and Huff J. Dioxins and MammalianCarcinogenesis, in Schecter A, ed. Dioxinsand Health. New York: Plenum, 1994: 389-408

6 ibid

7 Landrigan et al, EnvironmentalNeurotoxicology, Washington DC. NationalAcademy Press, 1992.

8 Deeder, B, A thumbnail Sketch of a GreatFlood in Southeast Michigan, WeatherHistorian, WFO Detroit/Pontiac Mi,http://www.trwnews.net/

9 Information bulletin,Tittabawassee/Saginaw river flood plain,Environmental Assessment Initiative,Michigan Department of EnvironmentalQuality, Midland, Saginaw counties, 2002http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-erd-trf-DEQ-dioxinbulletin-(FINAL).pdf

10 Citizens ask for Federal Probe into MajorDioxin Cover-up in Michigan, Lone TreeCouncil press release 2002

11 How much dioxin has been found?Tittabawassee river watchhttp://www.trwnews.net/howmuch.htm#phase3

12 2003 Michigan Family Fish ConsumptionGuidehttp://www.michigan.gov/documents/FishAdvisory03_67354_7.pdf

13 How much dioxin has been found? op cit

14 ibid

15 Stettler, J, Dioxin numbers reassure Dow,upset residents. The Saginaw News February24, 2004,

DBCP – A tragedy forewarned

1 Doyle, J, Trespass Against Us(forthcoming publication)

2 ibid

3 ibid

4 Thrupp, L. Direct Damage: DBCPPoisoning in Costa Rica, Dirty DozenCampaigner, May 1989

5 Trost, C, Elements of Risk: The ChemicalIndustry and its Threat to America, New York:Times Books, 1984

6 Doyle op cit

7 ibid

8 Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report.Transcript. Public Broadcasting Service, 2001http://www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/transcript.html.

9 Doyle op cit.

10 ibid.

11 Ibid

12 Beachy, B. Farmworkers Wage LegalBattle against US Companies that PoisonedThem. The Nicaragua Monitor, 2003

13 Doyle op cit

14 El Nuevo Diario, October 9, 2002

15 Beachy, B. op cit

16 ibid

17 ibid

18 Gonzalez, D and Loewenberg, S, BananaWorkers Get Day in Court. New York Times,2003www.misko.com/library/Banana%20Workers%20Get%20Day%20in%20Court.pdf

19 ibid

References


Referencescont

Intoxicating Louisiana

1 Doyle, J, Trespass Against Us,(forthcoming publication)

2 About Dow in Louisianahttp://www.dow.com/facilities/namerica/laops/dow/

3 Dow Poison Vinyl Chloride in Plaquemine,WBRZ News, August 2002,http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Polyvinylchloride/Dow-Vinyl-Chloride-Plaquemine14aug02.htm on 11 August 2003.

4 Doyle op cit

5 Doyle op cit

6 Doyle op cit

7 Doyle op cit

8 Doyle op cit

9 Dunne, M, Vinyl chloride source stillmystery; little known of chemical’s effects.The Advocate, March 10 2002

10 Ibid

11. Landrigan, P J et al, EnvironmentalNeurotoxicology. Washington, D.C. NationalAcademy Press, 1992

12 Bragg, R, The New York Times, May 5,2003

13 ibid

14 Dunne op cit

15 Petitioned Health Consultation, PublicComment Release review of groundwatersampling results from the Myrtle Grove TrailerPark well system, Myrtle Grove Trailer ParkPlaquemine, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, Feb 3, 2003.http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/myrtlegrove/myr_p1.html

16 Doyle op cit

17 Dunne op cit

18 Dow Poison Vinyl Chloride in Plaquemineop cit

19 Bragg op cit

20 Sue Dow, allege cover-up, The Advocate, 10 Jan 2002

Bhopal

1 Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973.,Proof from Carbide itself, Frontline Magazine,Vol. 19 issue 26 December 21, 2002 – Jan 3.2003 The Hindu Group.

2 Lapierre, D and Moro, J, Five PastMidnight in Bhopal. Warner Books. 2002

3 Union Carbide Moved to bar Accident atUS Plant Before Bhopal Tragedy. The WallStreet Journal. 1985

4 Design Flaws Contribute to Gas Leaks.The New York Times, 1985

5 Background, International Campaign forJustice in Bhopal,http://www.bhopal.net/oldsite/backdam.html,2004

6 Background, International Campaign forJustice in Bhopal,http://www.bhopal.net/oldsite/backdam.html on 15 February 2004.

7 Varma D et al, Methyl IsocyanateExposure and Growth Patterns ofAdolescents in Bhopal. Research Letter;Journal of the American Association, Oct. 82003 Bol. 290

8 Brown, D. The Dead zone, GuardianWeekend Newspaper, 2002http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,794860,00.html

9 http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign_id=3991

10 Surviving Bhopal 2002: Toxic PresentToxic Future, The Fact-Finding Mission onBhopal (FFMB), 2002

11 Government Finally Acts on Anderson’sExtradition, The Indian Express, July 16, 2003

12 Singh H, MP wants Dow to CleanupCarbide Mess, State to Approach Centre forSupreme Court Action. The Indian Express,Bombay, 2002

13 Dow Public Report 2002http://www.dow.com/publicreport/2002/pdfs/233-00207.pdf

14 Hold Dow Chemical liable for the Bhopalgas disaster, join the worldwide relay hungerstrike for justice in Bhopal, Earth Summit Dayof Action on Bhopal. CorpWatch bulletin2002http://www.corpwatch.org/bulletins/PRT.jsp?articleid=3611

15 The Lawrence Summers Memorial Award,Multinational Monitor, Vol. 24 No. 3, Mar 2003http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/03march/march03award.html on 11 August2003.

The Dow in all of us

1 Onstot J et al, Characterization ofHRGC/MS Unidentified Peaks from theAnalysis of Human Adipose Tissue. Volume 1:Technical Approach. Washington, DC: U.S.Environmental Protection Agency Office ofToxic Substances. 1987

2 Protecting Our Health, CDC report onbody burden. 2003http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/

3 http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/whatisbb.htm

4 Schafer, K and Reeves, M, Polluting OurBodies Without Permission 2003http://www.panna.org/about/pu/pu_200303.03.dv.html

5 ibid

6 Dow Chemical, Pesticide Action NetworkNorth America World Bank AccountabilityProject

7 ToxFAQs for DDT, DDE and DDD. ATSDR,2002http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts35.html

8 Case Study: Organochlorine PesticidesComing Clean Networkhttp://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/cs_organochl.htm


10 ibid

11 Patton, S, and Cohen, G, Building theRight to Know About Chemical Body Burdenand Stopping the Chemical Industry’s ToxicTrespass,http://www.ombwatch.org/rtkconference/body_burden.html by Environmental HealthFund

12 Sandra Steingraber’s website,http://www.steingraber.com/

13 Steingraber, S, Having Faith: AnEcologist’s Journey to Motherhood.A MerloydLawrence book, New York: PerseusPublishing, 2001.

14 Sandra Steingraber’s website op cit

15 ibid

16 Transcript of Rachel Carson MemorialLecture, 2003, http://www.pan-uk.org/RCMl03.htm

Our Dursban burden

1 Agency Administrators announcement,2000http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/announcement6800.htm US Environmental Protection

2 Eskenzi B et al, Exposures of Children toOrganophosphate Pesticides and TheirPotential Adverse Health Effects, Environ.Health Perspect 107 (Suppl. 3). June 1999

3 Dow Chemical: A rapsheet. InternationalCampaign for Justice in Bhopal, 2004

4 Dow. Living, Poisoned Daily, GreenpeaceUSA fact sheet:www.greenpeaceusa.org/toxics/dow_factsheet.pdf

5 Summary of the Hazards of Dursban(Chlorpyrifos), Natural Resources DefenceCouncil,http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/bdursban.asp

6 ibid

7 Chemical Trespass, Pesticide ActionNetwork North America (forthcomingpublication)

8 The stuff in the backyard shed. Thepesticide is effective and sells like mad. But isit safe for everyone? U. S. News and WorldReport on Dursban. 1999.http://www.getipm.com/news/usnews-tv.htm

9 Dursban Announcement, USEnvironmental Protection Agency, 2000http://www.epa.gov/epahome/speeches_0608.htm

10 Chemical Information About Chlorpyrifos,Pesticide Action Network PesticideDatabase:http://www.pesticideinfo.org/PCW/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC33392

11 ToxFAQs for Chlorpyrifos, Agency forToxic Substances and Disease Registry.1997http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts84.html

12 Chlorpyrifos facts, Interim ReregistrationEligibility Decision (IRED), EPA 2002http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/chlorpyrifos_fs.htm

13 Dirty Dow Fact Sheet, Students forBhopal http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/DirtyDow.htm

14 Dow subsidiary to pay $2 million formaking false safety claims in pesticide ads,New York State Attorney Eliot Spitzer Press release 2003http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2003/dec/dec15a_03.html

Cruel profile

1 Stirewalt, C, New Jury Now WillDetermine Damages in Dow Chemical Case,Charleston Daily Mail, 25 Oct 2002www.dailymail.com/news/News/2002102524/

2 Hot Topics, May 2003 – Facworld NorthAmericahttp://www.facworld.com/Facworld/ENVPOLL.NSF/FacWorld/May2003North%20America?OpenDocument&Ref=HotTopics

3 Asbestoshttp://www.injuryboard.com/view.cfm/Topic=90

4 Ibid

5 Girion, L, Dow Chemical liable inasbestos-related cases October 26 2002 LosAngeles

6 Dow Chemical Shareholders ChallengeManagement on Dioxinhttp://www.socialfunds.com/news/release.cgi/1808

7 Konrad, R, IBM, ex-employees go tocourt over `cancer cluster’ Associated PressPosted on Thu, Sep. 25, 2003http://www.svtc.org/media/articles/2003/sjmerc_925.htm

8 Dow Workers/Stakeholder Initiative Dow’sUnion Workers – the Forgotten Stakeholders– A publication of the Metal TradesDepartment, AFL-CIO


10 Zimmerman, S, Silicone Survivors:Women’s Experience with Breast Implants,Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998

11 Doyle op cit

12 Doyle op cit

13 Dow Announces Biotechnology Strategy,Dow Chemical Company News on Call, 8 September 1998,http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=105&STORY=/www/story/09-08-1998/0000745885> on 12 August 2003

14 Pesticide Action Network North Americaonline presentation, Genetically EngineeredCrops and Foodshttp://www.panna.org/resources/geTutorial.html

15 Dow Chemical: Risks for Investors.Report prepared by Innovest StrategicAdvisors (forthcoming)

16 Money and Ballot Measures in the 2002Electionwww.ballotfunding.org/PostElectionpdf

17 The Chemical Industry, The BushAdministration, and European Efforts toRegulate Chemicals, A Special Interest CaseStudy, United States House ofRepresentatives Committee on GovernmentReform – Minority Staff Special InvestigationsDivision April 1, 2004http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_admin_reach_rep.pdf

18 Pesticide Action Network North AmericaOnline Dow Profile (forthcoming)

19 The Chemical Industry op cit

20 ibid

21 www.americanchemistry.com

22 Infact’s Hall of Shame Campaignwww.infact.org

23 Biotech Industry Lobbying Expenditures1998-2002, Capital Eye,http://www.capitaleye.org/bio-lobbying.asp2004

24 The Chemical Industry op cit

25 Green, E, Clopyralid by DowAgroSciences Found in Composted Grass,LA Times 27 December 2001http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Clopyralid-Composting-Dow.htm

26 ibid

27 http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Poisoning.jsp?Rec_Id=PC36017

28 Brockley, R, Corporate Profile Dow: themenace from Midland,http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1991/07/mm0791_10.html


29 Marquardt, S et al, Rejected Toxics Jointhe “Circle of Poison”,http://archive.greenpeace.org/gopher/campaigns/toxics/1992/neverreg.txt

30 Brockley, R op cit

31 Marquardt, S op cit

32 Pollution Litigation Review – FacWorld,2002http://www.facworld.com/FacWorld.nsf/doc/polllitrev0202

33 1,3-dichloropropene (Telone II) ChemicalFact Sheet 9/86 chemical fact sheet for: 1,2-dichloropropenehttp://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/fumigant/dichloropropene/fumi-prof-dichloropropene.html

34 Pesticide Information Profile: SulfurylFluoride, Extension Toxicology Network,September 1993http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/pyrethrins-ziram/sulfuryl-fluoride-ext.html

Greenwash

1 Dow 2003 Annual Reporthttp://www.dow.com/financial/2003ann/index.htm

2 Information bulletin,tittabawassee/saginaw river flood plain,Environmental Assessment Initiative,Michigan Department of EnvironmentalQuality, Midland, Saginaw counties, 2002http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-erd-trf-DEQ-dioxin-bulletin-(FINAL).pdf

3 http://www.dowagro.com/chlorp/about/index.htm

4 Dunne, M, Vinyl chloride source stillmystery; little known of chemical’s effects.The Advocate, March 10 2002


6 Marchlewski, K, Midland Daily News03/22/2004http://www.trwnews.net/Documents/News/2004/mdn032204.htm

7 Dow Jones newswires March 17, 20047:00a.m.

8 Dioxin and the Tittabawassee River FloodPlainhttp://129.33.46.234/pdfs/about/Dioxin%20and%20the%20Floodplain.pdf

9 Stettler, J. Dioxin discrepancies. TheSaginaw News, April 04/04/04

10 Coming Clean website, Dioxin CaseStudyhttp://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/cs_dioxin.htm

11 Kociba, 1978, cited in America's Choice,Children's Health or Corporate Profit, TheAmerican People's Dioxin Report TechnicalSupport Document November 1999 Centerfor Health, Environment and Justice FallsChurch, VAhttp://www.safealternatives.org/report.html

12 http://uspirg.org/uspirg.asp?id2=12860&id3=USPIRG&

13 Irresponsible Care: The Failure of theChemical Industry to Protect the Public fromChemical AccidentsU.S. PIRG EducationFund. 2004http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=meghan+purvis+chemical+accident+report&spell=1

14 Dow 2003 Annual Report op cit

15 Corpwatch bulletin 2003http://www.corpwatch.org/bulletins/PBD.jsp?articleid=7669

16 Dow web statementhttp://www.dow.com/environment/care_info.html

17 Dow 2003 Annual Report op cit

18 Bhopal water fact sheet. Greenpeacehttp://archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/documents/Bhopalwater.pdf


Referencescont

Written by Lisa RimmerDesigned by Deborah Thompson

Written by Lisa RimmerDesigned by Deborah Thompson for

Dow Accountability Campaign, c/o Pesticide Action Network North America, 116 New Montgomery Street #810, San Francisco, CA. 94105 Tel: (415) 981-1771 Fax:(415) 981-1991

Printed on recycled paper with at least 50% post consumer content, processed chlorine free.