The Poison Detectives

Episode 2

February 27th 2024

Who's Minding the Store?

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It begins with a memorial ceremony in Colorado for fallen firefighters. It used to be that firefighters died in fires or from inhaling toxic smoke. Today the majority die from cancer.

We meet a firefighter from Newfoundland who attended the ceremony. We meet a union rep whose job is to reduce or eliminate the new risks, and a former union rep who points out how the top union brass failed firefighters by believing manufacturers that the turnout gear was safe.

Meanwhile Diane Cotter is gathering turnout gear and raising money for a formal study. And 1300 km away a lawyer is grappling with questions about toxic chemicals in water that is killing a rancher’s cattle. Federal and provincial regulators aren’t interested in investigating the problem so the lawyer sues Dupont. He suspects chemicals from the plant are to blame and suing is the only way to get the internal documents to prove it.

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A firefighter’s wife and a corporate lawyer in different parts of the U.S. get pulled into solving separate mysteries. Something was making cows die and deer hemorrhage to death in West Virginia. That same something could also be giving firefighters cancer — all over the country.

When the lawyer and the firefighter’s wife met, they found out they were working on the same mystery.

The mystery was caused by a human-made chemical that environmental regulators should have known about but didn’t. A chemical that is said to be so toxic, it is unclear if any contact with it is safe.

The chemical was created by a corporate giant, and then another corporate giant began using it to provide the world with so-called revolutionary products. Products that come with a very steep price.

This is a fascinating story of two people unravelling a ball of yarn that would reveal the poisoning of the world.

Funding for this podcast came from Dragonfly Ventures and the Institute for Sustainability, Education and Action.

The Poison Detectives podcast is also Supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.

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