Poisoned Lives: Secrets of the Chemical Industry | ENDEVR Documentary
ENDEVR・29 minutes read
Prisoners at Holmesburg in Philadelphia were subjected to medical experiments by chemical companies like Dow Chemical, with harmful effects like skin pigmentation changes reported. The Bhopal tragedy in India and the C8 contamination from DuPont highlight the devastating consequences of corporate negligence and greed, leaving communities to suffer for generations without adequate accountability.
Insights
- Multinational chemical companies like Dow Chemical conducted secret, harmful experiments on prisoners at Holmesburg, including tests with dioxin, a highly carcinogenic substance, without their knowledge, leading to severe health consequences.
- Corporations like Dupont prioritized profits over safety, neglecting to inform employees and the public about the risks of toxic substances like C8, resulting in widespread health issues, deformities, and cancer, with victims facing long waits for trials and compensation, showcasing a pattern of corporate irresponsibility and evasion of accountability.
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Recent questions
What unethical medical experiments occurred in Holmesburg?
Prisoners were used as guinea pigs for tests.
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Summary
00:00
Unethical Human Experimentation and Environmental Contamination
- Leotis Jones was a prisoner in Holmesburg, Philadelphia, used as a guinea pig for medical tests and human experimentation by multinational chemical companies.
- Prisoners participated in tests without knowing the substances they were given, leading to adverse effects like skin pigmentation changes.
- Dow Chemical, a major player in the industry, paid Jones for silence regarding the experiments conducted on inmates.
- Dow Chemical, a leading manufacturer of plastics and pesticides, conducted tests with dioxin, a highly carcinogenic product, on prisoners at Holmesburg.
- Sigmund Weitzman, an oncologist and former doctor at Holmesburg, was unaware of the products used on prisoners, including dioxin, until later in his career.
- Milton Clark, a toxologist for the EPA, was pressured by Dow Chemical to censor a report condemning their practices in Midland, Michigan, leading to continued pollution for 30 years.
- Mary Gade, an environmental agency official, discovered high levels of dioxin in Midland, leading to pressure from Dow Chemical and her eventual forced resignation.
- Alice Bukelter, a resident near Dow Chemical in Midland, discovered high levels of dioxin in her garden, leading to health issues in her family, including autoimmune diseases and cancer.
- Dow Chemical refused interviews and email inquiries, stating they seek science-based solutions for human health and community well-being.
- In Bhopal, India, a chemical plant explosion in 1984 led to widespread contamination, with toxic products still affecting residents, including high levels of mercury and lindane in the environment, posing severe health risks.
23:50
Water contamination tragedy in Bhopal: Uncovering negligence.
- Municipality had drinkable water since 2011, but residents like Rukmani and her daughter Rachna drank severely polluted water for years.
- Rachna, born with limited mental development and muscular dystrophy, suffered due to Rukmani drinking contaminated water during pregnancy.
- A governmental study found extremely high lindane levels in the water, 17 times the WHO limit.
- Rashna, unable to attend school due to disabilities, benefits from daily exercises at the Shingari rehabilitation center.
- Dow gave $4.5 billion to shareholders in 2015 but didn't allocate funds for Bhopal decontamination.
- Efforts to interview Dow's Communications Department failed, leading to a visit to the company's assembly in the U.S.
- Dow's response to Bhopal tragedy shifts blame, emphasizing their work on global clean water issues.
- Dupont's merger with DuPont in 2015 marked a significant financial move, despite hidden dark secrets.
- Suzanne Bailey's son, Bucky, faced severe deformities linked to C8 exposure from Teflon production.
- Dupont's negligence in informing employees of C8 risks led to severe health issues, including cancer and deformities.
46:40
Corporate greed delays justice for C8 victims.
- Dupont, driven by company greed, ignored evidence of harm caused by C8, leading to 3500 sick individuals seeking compensation, with only one victim receiving a trial and a $1.6 million settlement, while the rest face a 100-year wait for trials due to the slow pace.
- Despite evidence of toxicity and harm caused by C8, Dupont refused to acknowledge responsibility, only providing a statement in 2016, claiming to have acted responsibly and ceased using C8 in 2015, leaving many generations to suffer the consequences of contamination as history shows multinational corporations often evade prosecution for decades.
