"Although the Bhopal disaster is often held up as the worst example of the chemical industry’s disregard for human life, Dow’s products have a terrifying tendency to cause massive health problems and birth defects even when used as intended. Products that cause these defects can cause suffering generations after the initial exposure. For example, the defoliant Agent Orange continues to plague American and Vietnamese civilians and soldiers exposed to it during the Vietnam War. Dow also produced the now banned pesticide DDT, which is linked to human cancer and resulted in egg shell thinning among birds, nearly wiping out many species of American birds including the Bald Eagle. DCBP (Nemagon), Dursban, Dioxin, and Vinyl Chloride are just a few more of Dow’s products that have caused, and continue to cause, health and other environmental problems for people the world over. The scope of the contamination Dow has achieved is as staggering as the number of chemicals it has contributed—Dow has contaminated areas as diverse and far flung as Bhopal, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; New Plymouth, New Zealand; Plaquemine, Louisiana; Seadrift, Texas; Uravan, Colorado; and finally, Dow has so thoroughly contaminated the area surrounding its headquarters in Midland, Michigan that residents are advised not to come into contact with the soil around their homes. While this is by no means an exhaustive list of Dow’s hazardous products and contaminations, it paints an undeniable picture of a company that is simply not concerned with human safety or the environment."

Quoting CoopAmerica http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=217

"A Los Angeles jury ruled in favor of a group of fruit growers in the first of five trials pitting thousands of Central Americans against the fruit giant Dole and pesticide manufacturer Dow Chemical. Although the jury did not find that all the defendants had been sufficiently injured by the companies to warrant compensation, in the case of 6 workers the jury felt that Dole and Dow had caused them grievous harm. Specifically, the workers were exposed by Dole to the pesticide Nemagon (DCPB), which among other toxic side effects can cause sterility. While Dole was found to bear the majority of the blame for exposing the workers, Dow, the manufacturer of the chemical, was found to have concealed and “actively suppressed” information regarding the pesticide’s reproductive toxicity. The workers won a total award of $3.3 million dollars, and the companies still face legal challenges from more than 5,000 other workers who claim that they were sterilized by exposure to Nemagon."

Quoting CoopAmerica http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=217

"According to the nonprofit investigative journalism group the Center for Public Integrity, Dow Chemical has been linked to 96 superfund sites where it may be solely or partially responsible for contamination. A Superfund site is defined as a toxic waste site that falls under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program, which was enacted in 1980. Under the law, companies and other parties found responsible for polluting sites are required to clean up the area or pay the costs for cleanup to the EPA. So far, Dow has only managed to clean up 15 of their 96 sites, and on one site they have failed to prevent contaminated groundwater from spreading."

Quoting CoopAmerica http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=217

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cited Dow Chemical for violating testing, operating, monitoring, record keeping, reporting, and notification requirements as outlined in the Clean Air Act. The Midland, Michigan-based company also exceeded the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, and the EPA has filed an administrative complaint for the company’s failure to comply with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Dow Chemical has been cited for neglecting to file the required chemical release form for the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. The EPA has proposed a $53,109 penalty for these violations."

Quoting CoopAmerica http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=217

"US PIRG identified Dow Chemical as one of twelve companies endangering the most people. A 2004 report entitled, “Dangerous Dozen: A Look at How 12 Chemical Companies Jeopardize Millions of Americans,” found that approximately 6.03 million people live in Dow Chemical’s “vulnerability zones.” The EPA defines the radius of a “vulnerability zone” as the greatest distance between “the point of release of a hazardous substance in which the airborne concentration could reach the level of concern under specified weather conditions.” People living within these zones have an increased risk of being affected by Dow Chemical’s production of phosgene, chlorine, and hydrocyanic acid."

Quoting CoopAmerica http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=217

"US PIRG’s report “Irresponsible Care: the Failure of the Chemical Industry to Protect the Public from Chemical Accidents” questions the legitimacy of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and its Responsible Care guidelines. US PIRG found that ACC members, one of which is Dow Chemical, averaged 5 chemical accidents a day. According to National Resource Center data on reported accidents, Dow had 2,562 accidents, between 1990 and 2003, the second highest of all companies included in the report."

Quoting CoopAmerica http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=217