Toxic disasters aren’t so far from home

The story of a West Virginia town changed forever by toxic pollution captured the hearts and minds of Portlanders at the Oregon debut of the documentary “The Devil We Know.” The film tells a disturbing and well-researched story of how a chemical company knowingly dumped a toxic, persistent chemical (PFOA) into the drinking water supply (see investigative reporting on the story).

While the disaster may seem far away, it hits home to know that the same chemical is in nearly all of our homes—and all of our bodies (see details from the Centers for Disease Control).

What’s more, the tactics that the chemical company used to deny responsibility for health harm are at play in federal lawmaking and regulation today.

: we can’t let science be hijacked and chemical safety be undermined for the sake of billion-dollar profits.

You can also join Oregon Environmental Council’s Action Network to speak out when the issue hits home here in Oregon, undermining our state’s own chemical safety laws.

So: what else can Oregonians do to prevent disasters like these? How can we protect our own health, even as we hold companies responsible? Here are a few simple things you can do…

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