DOW sells off home products division

Hi amber, So it appears they have sold their home products division, but are still creating havoc paying off politicians and using plastic materials that are harmful to us. I cannot verify this, but thought it was worth the read and something we should keep in mind next time we vote. Read below: Coke, Pepsi, Kraft, McDonald's, Wendy's, Intuit, Reed-Elsevier, and others have dropped their membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Click here to tell other firms bankrolling ALEC to do the same. Dow Chemical Company This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on global corporations. Learn more about the threat drilling for methane gas poses to fresh water. Learn more about corporations VOTING to rewrite our laws. The Dow Chemical Company is a lead producer of plastics, chemicals, hydrocarbons, and agrochemicals. It is the largest chemical company in the U.S. and the second largest in the world. (ahead of ExxonMobil and behind BASF). Dow also makes performance plastics; including engineering plastics, polyurethanes and materials for Dow Automotive. Other products include packaging materials such as its Styrofoam brand insulation; fibers and films. It also makes performance chemicals like acrylic acid; commodity chemicals (chlor-alkalies and glycol) and agrochemicals. Its Hydrocarbons and Energy unit makes olefins and aromatics, raw materials for other chemicals. Dow also owns half of silicone products maker Dow Corning. [1] Dow subsidiary Union Carbide, was involved in the Bhopal, India later in asbestos lawsuits. [2] Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council Dow Chemical was a "Director" level sponsor of 2011 American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Conference, which in 2010, equated to $10,000.[3] Dow Chemical was also a sponsor of the Louisiana Welcome Reception at the 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting.[4] Dr. Daland R. Juberg, North American leader of the Human Health Assessment Group within Dow AgroSciences (Indianapolis, IN), spoke at the Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force meeting of the 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting.[5] About ALEC ALEC is corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. ALEC legislative leaders are tasked with a duty to get the bills introduced and passed; ALEC members introduce the bills in statehouses as their own brilliant ideas—without disclosing that corporations pre-voted on them with politicians behind closed doors at ALEC resort meetings. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, and more than 20% become legally binding. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. It might be right. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our PRWatch.org site. Animal testing Dow does animal testing. Facility information, progress reports & USDA-APHIS reports For links to copies of a facility's U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Animal Plant Health Inspection (APHIS) reports, other information and links, see also Facility Reports and Information: Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan. [6] USDA AWA reports As of May 26, 2009, the USDA began posting all inspection reports for animal breeders, dealers, exhibitors, handlers, research facilities and animal carriers by state. See also USDA Animal Welfare Inspection Reports. Contract testing Dow contract tests out to Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). [7] Huntingdon Life Sciences is the 3rd largest contract research organization (CRO) in the world and the largest animal testing facility in all of Europe. Firms hire CROs to conduct animal toxicity tests for agrochemicals, petrochemicals, household products, pharmaceutical drugs and toxins. HLS has a long history of gross animal welfare violations. See also Huntingdon Life Sciences. Environment In October 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave Dow 60 days (until December 10, 2007) to present the agency with "a good faith offer demonstrating its willingness to conduct or finance a remedial investigation and feasibility study and design a remedy" for dioxin contamination of the Tittabawassee River, and perhaps the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay areas of Michigan. [8] Air pollution Dow ranked number 11 in the Political Economy Research Institute's top 100 air polluters in the U.S. for 2002.[9] Bisphenol-A Dow Chemical is one of the leading manufacturers of Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that is used in the making of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Recent studies have shown that the BPA in common consumer products is leading to many serious diseases, even at a low level. Some such diseases are infertility, obesity, breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, thyroid malfunction, and attention deficit syndrome. Recent studies have also found links to genetic problems leading to chromosome abnormalities which can lead to miscarriages, Down's syndrome, and Turner syndrome, among other serious conditions. Some common products containing Bisphenol-A include household appliance parts, compact discs, sunglasses, eating utensils, paints, and reusable bottles. [10] See also extensive list at Bisphenol A in plastics - does it make us sick? A consumer guide Chlorpyrifos First used as a nerve gas in World War II, chlorpyrifos have most recently been used as indoor and outdoor pesticides. In 1963 Dow AgroSciences began manufacturing chlorpyrifos under the name Dursban, a product mainly used as a means of controlling cockroach populations in homes. Dursban was banned by the EPA in 2000, citing it as a neurological toxin that was unsafe to children's health. It was the third organophosphate that the EPA banned from consumer use [11] The chemical was only banned from over-the-counter products; farmers still had access to the pesticide for their crops. This product, labeled Lorsban by Dow, is just as toxic and is having adverse health effects on farmers and their children around the world. Because pesticide use is not legally required to be reported, chlorpyrifos continues to be used without being federally monitored. In effort to prove that their chemical does not have the extreme impacts on children, they have performed unethical tests and hidden the results from consumers. According to Dow, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s report that 92% of children and 82% of adults showed traces of the chemical has a "tremendous number of errors and omissions". [12] In 2003, Dow was sued by the Attorney General of New York resulting in payments of $2 million dollars for advertising their product as safe, 8 years after a $732,000 fine for failing to report results of toxicity studies of their products to the EPA. [13] They have also done human testing on 60 paid people in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1998, paying them to swallow the tablets covered in chlorpyrifos. [14] Health effects blurred vision fatigue muscle weakness memory loss carcinogenicity reproductive/developmental problems birth defects[15] Bhopal, India The night of December 3, 1984 is the night thousands remember as the beginning of a catastrophe that has still not found peace. That night, thousands suffocated on the 27 tons of methyl isocyanate that leaked out of Union Carbide’s pesticides plant and filled the city of Bhopal, India with a white cloud of smoke that was impossible to run from. [16] At least 3,000 people were killed that night, several thousand more in the following nights, and yet more in the years to come. Twenty-five years later, the chemicals from the abandoned factory continue to seep into the ground and poison survivors and their children.[17] It has been claimed that it is the “unlucky” ones who survived that night and must suffer every day from the disabilities and contaminated drinking water. The fight for justice and compensation has been long and hard. In 2001 Dow Chemical inherited the liabilities when it purchased Union Carbide. Union Carbide left the factory desolate and destroyed, ignoring their lease agreement with the state of Madhya Pradesh, that the land, when returned, be in a ‘habitable and usable condition.’.[18] Dow ignored the Polluter Pays principle, claiming that the Madhya Pradesh government should pay for the clean up. The company asserts that the $300 million in compensation paid by Union Carbide in 1989, should be funneled into cleanup efforts, rather than to affected individuals; ultimately forcing the survivors to pay for the chemical clean up.[19] The catastrophe continues today. Napalm During the Vietnam War, Dow encountered boycotts against its end-consumer products because of its manufacture of napalm. [20] ZNet has this to say about Dow: "Saran Wrap -The thin slice of plastic invaluable to our lives. Produced by Dow until consumers were looking for Dow products to boycott. Dow decided to get out of consumer products for this reason -- they sold off Saran Wrap -- and since just makes chemicals that make our consumer products.[21], [22], [23] Purchasing agreement for gasified coal On April 27, 2009 Dow & GreatPoint Energy (a coal gasification company) signed an agreement that gives Dow the option to buy GreatPoint's gasified coal if the company reaches the commercial level. [24] If the two companies do decide to do business with each other, they will enter into a fifteen-year contract and Dow will buy gas from GreatPoint's first three commercial plants.[24] The press release states: "Dow is one of the country’s largest industrial users of natural gas and has over thirty years of gasification experience, having developed its own gasification technology, known as E-gas, and extensive chemical industry processing and technology scale-up experience… Daniel Goldman, GreatPoint Energy’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, who led the negotiations with Dow, commented, “having Dow as a potential major purchaser of natural gas further validates our technology and enables financing structures that will reduce our cost of production." [24] GreatPoint Energy CEO Andrew Perlman stated, “This potential gas agreement will also enable us to move forward with the development of large scale facilities in North America.” [24] In 2007, Dow worked with Citi Sustainable Development Investments, The AES Corp., and Suncor Energy, Inc. to put together a $100 million investment for GreatPoint Energy. [25] The investment was used to create a pilot gasification plant called the Mayflower Clean Energy Center, located at Dominion's Brayton Point station in Somerset, Massachusetts. This was the largest "green tech" investment of 2007, and "one of the industry's biggest venture capital rounds ever."[26][27] Political contributions Dow gave $$319,100 to federal candidates in the 2010 election cycle through its political action committee - 51% to Democrats and 47% to Republicans.[28] Lobbying Dow Chemical and subsidiary Dow AgroSciences spent a combined total of $6,640,000 on lobbying in 2009. $1,870,000 went to 8 outside firms for the parent company; $120,000 went to one outside firm for the subsidiary and the remaining amount was spent on in-house lobbying.[29] Personnel & board Key executives Andrew N. Liveris - Chairman, President & CEO William Weideman - Executive VP & CFO David Kepler- Executive VP, Business Services, Chief Sustainability Officer & CIO[30] Key executives and 2006 pay Andrew N. Liveris - $16,821,542[31] Geoffery E. Merszei - CFO, $7,222,491[32] David E. Kepler - $4,289,395[33] Selected board members James A. Bell - CFO, Boeing Company Jeff M. Fettig - Chairman & CEO, Whirlpool Corporation Barbara Hackman Franklin - Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under George H. W. Bush Paul G. Stern - Director, Whirlpool Corporation, Member, Council on Foreign Relations[34] Contact 2030 Dow Center Midland, Michigan 48674 Phone: (989) 636-1000 Fax: (989) 832-1556 Web address: http://www.dow.com http://www.biodegradables.com Articles & sources SourceWatch articles Animal testing Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth Chemical industry Community Advisory Panels Community Advisory Panels: Corporate cat-herding Dow Corning Huntingdon Life Sciences Michael Parker - former president Pedro A. Freyre Peter Sandman Precautionary principle Responsible Care - The chemical industry's sham "self-regulation" effort. Chemical accidents actually increased in number after the initiation of this program designed to help the Chemical industry avoid government regulation. References ↑ Company Description: Dow Chemical Company, Hoovers, accessed April 2010 ↑ Union Carbide Profile, Hoovers, accessed December 2007. ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, 2011 Conference Sponsors, conference brochure on file with CMD, August 11, 2011 ↑ [American Legislative Exchange Council, 2011 Conference Receptions, conference brochure on file with CMD, August 11, 2011] ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Energy, Environment, and Agriculture 2011 Annual Meeting Task Force Meeting," speaker biographies and materials, August 4, 2011, on file with CMD ↑ Facility Reports and Information: Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan, Stop Animal Experimentation NOW!, accessed August 2011 ↑ Inside Customers, SHAC.net, accessed December 2009 ↑ Tony Lascari, "EPA to Dow: 60 days to talk cleanup," Midland Daily News (Midland, Mich.) October 11, 2007. ↑ The Toxic 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters in the United States, Political Economy Research Institute, 2002 ↑ "Bisphenol A in plastics - does it make us sick? A consumer guide," Friends of the Earth September, 2008. ↑ David Brown, Joby Warrick, "EPA Increases Risk Estimate Of a Pesticide; Agency Decision Effectively Bans Dursban From Stores," Washington Post, June 1, 2000. ↑ Cat Lazaroff, "Common Insecticide Found Highly Risky in New Review," Environment News Service 1999. ↑ "U.S. Will Use Once-Banned Human Tests," International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal 2005. ↑ Elizabeth Shogren, "U.S. Will Use Once-Banned Human Tests," Common Dreams November 27, 2001. ↑ "U.S. Will Use Once-Banned Human Tests," International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal 2005. ↑ "What Happened?," International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal November 11, 2008. ↑ Ellen Shifrin, "Bhopal: The Search for Justice," Basics Free Community Newsletter January 28,2009. ↑ Joe Jackson & Maeve McLoughlin, "Bhopal disaster: still waiting for the clean up," International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, November 20, 2008. ↑ "Dow's Liabilities," International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, November 11,2008. ↑ "Dow Drops Napalm", Time, November 28, 1969. ↑ Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman, "Twenty Things to Know About Dow Chemical on the 20th Anniversary of Bhopal", Z Net, November 23, 2004. ↑ Dow Chemical Profile, Hoovers, accessed December 2007. ↑ Products and Services, Dow Chemical, accessed December 2007. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 "GreatPoint Energy and Dow Chemical Company Sign Natural Gas Sales Agreement", GreatPoint Energy ,press release, April 27, 2009. ↑ “GreatPoint Energy closes $100 million capital raise co-led by Citi Alternative Investments and Dow Chemical”, GreatPoint Energy press release, September 24, 2007. ↑ Martin LaMonica, "Where coal and clean tech meet", Cnet, April 13, 2009. ↑ Robert Gavin, “Mass. plant will make natural gas from coal”, Boston Globe, October 25, 2007] ↑ 2010 PAC Summary Data, Open Secrets, accessed August 2011 ↑ Dow lobbying expenses, Open Secrets, accessed April 2010 ↑ Company Description: Dow Chemical Company, Hoovers, accessed April 2010 ↑ Andrew N Liveris, Forbes, accessed December 2007. ↑ Geoffery E Merszei, Forbes, accessed December 2007. ↑ David E Kepler, Forbes, accessed December 2007. ↑ Board of Directors, Dow, accessed December 2007. External articles "Dow, Monsanto Ordered To Pay $62M Over Agent Orange", Associated Press, January 26, 2006 External resources Basic history of Napalm. The Bhopal Medical Appeal & Sambhavna Clinic, Bhopal International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal Students for Bhopal The Truth About Dow Dow Chemical Consumer Campaign by Beyond Pesticides The Dow Chemical Company's Website - the latest company written news, PR and information about all of Dows various products and subsidiaries. Dow History as written by Dow Dow Chemical Corporate News & Information Books Alastair Hay, The Chemical Scythe: Lessons of 2, 4, 5, 6 and Dioxin, Kluwer Academic Publishers, September 1982, ISBN 0306409739 Jack Doyle Tresspass Against Us: Dow Chemical and the Toxic Century, Common Courage Press, April 1, 2004, ISBN 978-1567512687 Categories: Global corporations | Water | Energy | ALEC Exposed | Chemical industry | Corporations | Environment | Animal testing | Huntingdon Life Sciences | United States | Human rights abuses