Infiltrating an Indian factory... almost

Infiltrating an Indian factory... almost

Reveal date

While in Bhopal to meet the survivors of the 1984 catastrophe, we learn from one of the organizers, Sathyu Sarangi, about a more recent Dow-tastrophe.

Sathyu informs us that Dow's termite-killer Dursban—aka chlorpyrifos, a chemical invented by the Nazis (probably not for killing termites)—has been illegal in the US since June 2000 because it's been found to damage children's brains.

Dursban was a half-billion-dollar market for Dow, with 17% of US households using it. So the same year the EPA forced Dow to withdraw it from US markets, Dow started selling Dursban in India, promoting it as safe for children and pets—a perfect Acceptable Risk calculation, since India has fewer lawyers than the US.

We tried to respond the way we usually do, but we just ended up making this video instead.