The document [https://cdn.toxicdocs.org/Z8/Z8JoXGD4m83pOjEJ1xJ0oL657/Z8JoXGD4m83pOjEJ1xJ0oL657.pdf] we are highlighting today could seem to be particularly puzzling. It is a letter from February 3, 1976, where a Monsanto employee heartfeltly thanks Mrs. Polsen for her "touching letter." Mrs. Polsen mentions the death of her son,

The document [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/2Y7xzM3XROQg1bpMvznnzomL?lightbox=1] we are highlighting today is a memo from the Scientists' Committee for Public Information, Inc (SCPI). It is titled "Lead Poisoning in Slum Children" and dated 14th February, 1969. The memo is a cry for public awareness

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic chemicals that were mainly used in the manufacture of hydraulic fluids and as cooling agents in electrical transformers and capacitators. Exposure to PCBs, mainly through contact or ingestion, has been linked to skin and liver damage, and cancer. In January 1981, PCBs were found in

DDT was developed in the 1940s as a potent synthetic insecticide and was initially used both to control insects in crops and agricultural settings, as well as to combat diseases like malaria. However, by the late 1950s DDT's toxic effects on the ecology were brought to light and

Leaded gasoline was one of the last lead containing products to be banned by the government. The EPA fought to enforce regulations on leaded gasoline well into the 1970s, but by then, it had taken a severe toll, poisoning workers at oil refineries and gas station employees. The Smithsonian Magazine

Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a plastic polymer. Exposure to vinyl chloride gas affects the central nervous system, causing dizziness and headaches. Over long periods of exposure, humans are at risk of cancer of the liver and birth defects. In 1978, Keyser-Century owned

Today's post examines two newspaper articles [https://cdn.toxicdocs.org/wD/wDJBXbqppLzv8NXyj8mnYe8m3/wDJBXbqppLzv8NXyj8mnYe8m3.pdf] from February, 1980. The articles describe the plight of a handful of women from Missoula, Montana, who suffered several miscarriages. They filed a lawsuit against Chemical Co. and other corpoarations for manufacturing herbicides "

The document we are looking at today is a newspaper article [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/7OMgODbkZrnZaLGa263dz8Xwa?lightbox=1] from 1981. It highlights a study that suggests children with parents who worked with chemicals had a higher chance of getting brain tumors. The study examined a group of 92 children

In Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway's book, Merchants of Doubt, industries like tobacco and DDT kept contreversies around scientific consensuses alive in order to impede restrictions and other action. This office report from the Lead Industries [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/O32LmbYpK9BGEJwL9XEQL8Vre?lightbox=1] in April 4th,

Through the 1970s, asbestos fibers could be found all around a typical household. Asbestos was used to line products like hair dryers, dishwashers, toasters, and a range of other appliances to provide cheap insulation. The asbestos in hair dryers was especially dangerous. It was a soft, friable material that could

We have posted about the "Dutch Boy" as a powerful symbol [https://www.toxicdocs.org/blog/advertisements-in-the-l/] reprsenting the National Lead Company. In the 1950s, Dutch Boy became the face of an aggressive advertising campaign selling white lead paint. The document [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/MML6Yo4rRREvpVnwYopQd5Rdk?lightbox=

In 1936, Lawrence Nelson filed a case against The International Smelting and Refining Company. The document [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/r62o78zGMzymknOXVKqO1drne?lightbox=1] charges the corporation with knowingly exposing its workforce to toxic compounds without properly informing them of the consequences. As our previous post recounted, Nelson was hospitalized

Lawrence Nelson was a workman at the International Smelting and Refining Company handling white lead. He was employed from June 2nd, 1927, to May 3rd, 1935. In 1936, due to his prolonged exposure to lead and other toxic hazards in his work environment, he suffered a paralytic stroke and was

A meeting between four lead corporations was held on May 11, 1942. Representatives from St. Joseph Lead Co., American Smelting and Refining Co., National Lead Co., and United Smelting Refining and Mining Co discussed tariff regulations with Mexico and Bolivia in relation to ongoing World War II in Europe. Essentially,

The document we are looking at today is a collection of asbestos advertisements [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/kDD04koZYJXRBk03Xj2rqka4O?lightbox=1] from 1946 by the Ruberoid Company. The primary product for sale was the "handy home use roll" of asbestos paper. The image describes many uses for asbestos

Lead pipes have been used to carry water from the time of Rome. By the 1920s, [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2509614/] cities in the United States began to recognize that these pipes played a role in causing lead poisoning, and many began to ban their use.

In May 2019, a 2 billion dollar verdict was delivered against Monsanto that concluded that the popular weedkiller, Roundup, caused cancer. This was the third case [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/13/business/monsanto-roundup-cancer-verdict.html] in the past two years that found that the company had failed to warn

The document [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/mqxpKRa8q6N9o5N9LXdLL98Gk?lightbox=1] that we are highlighting today is a compilation of lawsuits filed against many large industrial corporations, mostly from the 1990s. The lawsuits were filed by employees of these companies, claiming damages for: > "negligence, breach of warranty, misrepresentation, ultra

The document [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/aJbZLb0ao07M3ybxDnenxykkX?lightbox=1] we are highlighting today is an industrial hygiene survey conducted at one of BF Goodrich’s factories. Goodrich's 1984 report contains a thorough account of the plant’s industrial practices, including waste disposal, physical examinations for workers, and

In November of 1957, Monsanto issued an Emergency Press Plan [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/10q4bba80R9wnjkvDyX0eamgE?lightbox=1] to control, structure, and shape news regarding their factories, products, and other incidents relating to the company. Controlling information, especially in crisis, was power, and Monsanto officials understood this very well. What

We've just uploaded a second batch of the Poison Papers to our site. Read more about the collection here [http://www.toxicdocs.org/blog/the-poison-papers-come-to-toxic-docs/].

Today, Toxic Docs is pleased to announce that it is hosting the Poison Papers on its site. You can browse them by clicking here. And you can search them by choosing "Poison Papers" [https://www.toxicdocs.org/search?page=1&collection_id=5b8ed67e4523b82f8c8e76bd] under the "Special

It sounds innocuous, neutral, and legitimate enough to the undiscerning eye: Asbestos Information Association (AIA). But it was in fact a front group founded by the asbestos industry in the late-20th century to push back against impending regulation, especially at the federal level from the EPA. These documents are membership

[https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/99rREbkYQvOJdL0VjBEeJ7wd7?lightbox=1] In the 1970s, facing mounting bad publicity and regulatory crunch, the asbestos industry regrouped, forming trade associations and devising public relations campaigns. In this closed-door Executive Committee meeting [https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/99rREbkYQvOJdL0VjBEeJ7wd7?lightbox=1] of the International Asbestos Information Conference,

Recently, Toxic Docs was pleased to learn from the National Science Foundation that it won a $457,649 grant to support its work. Yeah! Merlin Chowkwanyun will serve as PI of the project, David Rosner as Co-PI, and Gerald Markowitz and Alex Farrill as collaborators. The NSF is one of