Torch CAN DO will host a free public showing of The Devil We Know on Tuesday, October 2, at 6:00 p.m. at the Coolville Public Library, 26401 Main Street Coolville, OH (740-667-3354).

This feature length film documents the extensive damage to health of employees and area residents caused by DuPont’s use and discharge of perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly known as C8. Thousands of residents in Ohio and West Virginia were exposed to this chemical when it was released into the air, water and ground from DuPont’s Washington Works plant near Parkersburg. Employees and area residents tell how they eventually succeeded in bringing the attention of investigators to the vicinity’s noticeable increase in unusual physical defects and illnesses. C8 has been linked to hypertension, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and high cholesterol. Thousands of law suits have been settled by DuPont which was also fined for violations of requirements to report knowledge of substantial risk of injury.

The film provides an opportunity to comprehend and reflect on the corporate product-focused decision making and deception itself, as well as the harm inflicted. It raises important questions about the lack of existing mechanisms to screen and inform the public about the composition of potentially hazardous substances introduced into the environment by corporate and commercial entities.