The DuPont corporation revolutionized home cooking with Teflon’s non-stick cookware and its key chemical ingredient, C8. But how safe is it? World Community’s film series continues with a screening of the eco-thriller, The Devil We Know (88 min. – North Island College, Courtenay).
Filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig says “As a mother, I was extremely shocked to learn there is no real oversight of industrial chemicals before they go to market in this country. We assume that if something is on store shelves, it’s safe – but that’s not the case.”
While concealing knowledge about C8’s harmful effects, DuPont contaminated the environment with chemical waste, failed to warn their employees about serious health risks and continued marketing Teflon products as safe. Now 99% of US citizens, including newborn babies, have C8 in their bloodstreams.
Internal documents and secret in-house studies reveal a disturbing truth: to maximize profits, DuPont had knowingly been pumping a poisonous chemical into the air and public water supply of more than 70,000 people for decades.
In a class-action lawsuit that led to a landmark decision, residents learned the true extent of the irreversible damage DuPont caused. This film exposes the depths of corporate greed as well as the perseverance of individuals who refused to go down without a fight.
Winner Impact Award Vancouver International Film Festival
Admission by donation. Everyone is welcome. FMI: 250 337-5412