(He later would be played by actor Mark Ruffalo in the 2019 film Dark Waters.). It was to be incinerated or sent to chemical-waste facilities. Edit Search New Search Filters (1) To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Locationeven a guess will help. Dry Run was less than a miles walk from the home place, across Lee Creek, through an open field, and along a pair of tire tracks. At fifty-four, Earl was an . Wilbur Tennant passed away on May 15, 2009 at the age of 67 in Washington, West Virginia. "In 1991, DuPont scientists determined an internal safety limit for PFOA concentration in drinking water: one part per billion. YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. Michael Hawthorne is a Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune. Washington, West Virginia. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. And theyre going to find out one of these days that somebodys tired of it.. It begs the question: How many cancers and other health effects are we willing to accept?, Read the investigation: Tribune finds more than 8 million Illinoisans get drinking water from a utility where forever chemicals have been detected >>>. In 2005, the company agreed to fund studies on the health effects of C8. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. The calf was engulfed in a black, humming mist. This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. At fifty-four, Earl was an imposing figure, six feet tall, lean and oxshouldered, with sandpaper hands and a permanent squint. It was different from the regular dead-cow smells he had dealt with all his life. Trial lawyer Harry Deitzler, whos played by Bill Pullman in the film, told Slate in a telephone interview that while Dark Waters captured Bilotts sense of commitment and general modesty, it was less accurate in its depiction on one particular issue: Robert Bilott has not been known to be an especially big fan of Mai Tais, either in general or on special occasions. Wilbur Tennant. While DuPont did also conduct walk-throughs and physical searches of the Tennants belongings, deeply alienating some of the familys renters, the movie depicts some of Tennants evidence going mysteriously missing. This time he is seeking to force 3M and DuPont to pay for medical monitoring of every American exposed to PFAS. These included a polluted river . Wilbur Tennant's brother Jim really was a DuPont employee plagued with a serious ailment his doctors could not diagnose, and the chemical company did buy his 66 acres of the family's 600-some . After the Tennants had been paid and Bilotts law firm collected its fees for representing them, he found himself coming back again and again to the piles of industry documents he had collected, urged on by the persistent Tennant. On August 31st of 2017, E. I. Dupont de Nemours Company and the Dow Chemical Company merged as part of a $130 billion merger. Bilott soon discovered that Dry Run Creek, the offshoot of the Ohio River that Tennant's livestock drank from, was full of C8, an industry name for perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, one of the . YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. The problem, he thought, was not what they were eating but what they were drinking. . Its dumping pits were unlined, designed for the disposal of nonhazardous wasteoffice paper and everyday trash. Tennant had a problem. People who didn't know him very well called him Wilbur, but friends and family called him Earl. Photos by Focus Features and Mike Coppola/Getty Images. DuPont did not tell this to the Tennants at the time." Rob Bilott's Exposure is a real-life whodunit, a page-turning courtroom drama, a David-and-Goliath story of one man against an industrial colossus and a shocking expos of America's utterly broken environmental policy.You should also take this book personally - because the "exposure" of the title is yours. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. DuPont also discovered that pollution containing PFOA vented from the Washington Works plant affected the surrounding area, allegedly contaminating the local water supply, according to the New York Times Magazine. Listen to an interview with Bilott about the chemical lawsuits on Science Friday. This cookie is used for load balancing purposes. Did they think he would just sit by? He had formerly worked for the Wood County Schools as a bus. As a father, he had watched his little girls splash around in its shallow ripples. He focuses on the froth-covered creek before the tape cuts to a dissected calf with blackened teeth and oddly colored organs. A downstate Illinois native, Hawthorne joined the Tribune in 2004 after covering the environment and state government in Ohio, Illinois and Florida. Wilbur Tennant explained that he and his four siblings had run the cattle farm since their father abandoned them as children. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . Sometimes the cattle watered at a spring-fed bathtub trough at the farthest end of the field, but mostly they drank from Dry Run. Recently, the cows had started charging, trying to kick him and butt him with their heads, as this one had before she died. The campaign coincided with the release of the film "Dark Waters" starring Mark Ruffalo inspired by the true story of Bilott, who discovered a community had been dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals. People who didnt know him very well called him Wilbur, but friends and family called him Earl. Photo illustration by Slate. Alternatives for PFOA and PFOS promoted as safe by industry are just as dangerous, if not more so, scientists are finding. GRAPHIC CONTENT: An excerpt from Wilbur Earl Tennant's video showing the mysterious wasting disease affecting his cows in the 1990s. Its head was tipped back at an awkward angle. He especially enjoyed hunting, working in the garden and around the farm with his grandson Josh and . He hardly ever saw minnows swimming in the creek anymore, except the ones that floated belly up. Calf born dead. Earl loved his cows, and the cows loved Earl. . Dry Run used to flow gin clear. He sliced open the chest cavity, pulled out a lung, and turned the camera back on. Behind him, white-faced Herefords grazed in . Call him, they suggested. Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. How would you like for your livestock to have to drink something like that? he asked his imagined audience. Dark Waters tells the true story of American farmer Wilbur Tennant who calls on lawyer Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) to help him sue a chemical company Credit: Focus Features. . Bilott's grandmother had lived close by, and as a child he had spent a summer on a neighbouring farm, where family members recalled that Bilott had grown up to become an environmental lawyer, and put his name forward to the Tennants. During the course of the litigation, we have confirmed that the chemicals and pollutants released into the environment by DuPont may pose an imminent and substantial threat to health and the environment, Bilott wrote at the beginning of his March 6, 2001, letter. And Im gonna cut her open and find out what caused her to die. It kicked and thumped and wallered around there like you wouldnt believe.. The suit alleges negligence claiming the chemicals contaminated the state's natural resources, according to New Hampshire Public Radio. The other companies named in the lawsuit did not respond to Time's requests for comment. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. His pleas for help fell on deaf ears, according to the Huffington Post's article, "Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia." There is about a teacup or so full of itits a real dark yeller. Thats the largest gall I ever saw in my life! The US House of Representatives passed a bill in January 2020 that would require the EPA to deem per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) hazardous and establish a national drinking water standard. Bilott had now discovered the cause in the deaths of the cattle on Tennant's farm and had called DuPont regarding this information. Bilott did marry a fellow lawyer, Sarah Barlage, who left her career defending corporations against workers compensation claims to raise their sons. He couldnt quite place it. It is cut from the same cloth as movies like 'Erin Brockovich' and 'A Civil Action'. Today, that site is home to Chemours Washington Works, a spinoff of DuPont that employs more than 600 people and produces a variety of products used in construction, aerospace, and household goods. Wilbur Earl Tennant was a cattle farmer in Parkersburg, Virginia, who was known to his family and friends as Earl. Up until about a decade ago, few in the public knew about C8, let alone its potential health effects, but DuPont allegedly knew its toxic effects for decades and purportedly failed to tell employees or the public, according to The Intercept. Wilbur Tennant shot this video in the late 1990s on his property in West Virginia. That day had never come, so he decided he would make them watch a video. The company turned this land into the unlined Dry Run Landfill. On paper, Rob Bilott didnt appear to be one of those crusading lawyers in legal thrillers. Attached to it was a gallbladder that didnt. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. It does not store any personal data. The cattle farmer stood at the edge of a creek that cut through a sun-dappled hollow. just a dukes mix of everything. Until lately, the cattle always fattened up nicely on that, plus the corn he grew to finish them and a grain mix he bought from the feed store. Bilott is currently suing several makers and users of these chemicals on behalf of all Americans with PFAS in their blood. The JSESSIONID cookie is used by New Relic to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application. Despite internal debate, it declined to make the information public," the magazinenotes. He suspected one of his town's largest employers was up to no good, allegedly dumping chemicals and contaminating his farm's water supply, and the result was hundreds of sickened and dead cattle. The sometimes contentious tenor of Bilotts relationship with Wilbur Tennant is also true to life. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. Published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. DuPont's response was they would settle with the Tennant's however Bilott was . A group of citizens in West Virginia challenges a powerful corporation to be more environmentally responsible. His cattle now drank from its pools. Flies. . On the other line was Wilbur Tennant (played by Bill Camp), a cattle farmer from Parkersburg, W.V. Tennant was a West Virginia farmer whose family owned land near a DuPont factory on the Ohio River where the chemical giant made one of its signature inventions: Teflon nonstick and anti-stain coatings used in carpets, clothing, cookware and hundreds of other products. This cookie is used for storing country code selected from country selector. He didnt believe it anymore. . May 15, 2009; Location: Washington, West Virginia; Tribute & Message From The Family. The use of these cookies is strictly limited to measuring the site's audience. Science Friday is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In the spring, he would run and catch the calves so his daughters could pet them. Thats where theyre supposed to come down here and pull water samples, to see whats in that water. He pointed the camera at a stagnant pool of water flanked by knee-high grass. Robert Bilott isn't done. Tennant was a farmer who sold part of his land in Parkersburg, West Virginia, to DuPont, for Wilbur Tennant vs. DuPont on Vimeo And the man who started it all, Wilbur Tennant, won't see that resolution. Given the fact that the events depicted on the Tennant cattle farm in Parkersburg, West Virginia, are Dark Waters' most important evidence, the filmmakers should have treated them with the utmost authenticity - to their credit, they did for the most part.Wilbur Tennant's brother Jim really was a DuPont employee who got sick with a disease the doctors couldn't diagnose; and the chemical . . That calf had died miserable. It wasnt just his cattle dying. And if it sounds familiar, it should. DuPont's own instructions specified that it was not to be flushed into surface water or sewers," according to the New York Times Magazine. It was really his dedication to bringing that out that really inspired me to try to find a way to address the bigger problem., Amazingly, the Pakula-esque paranoid thriller scene, in which Wilbur Tennant spots a low-level helicopter hovering ominously over his property, uses the scope of his hunting rifle to better examine the vehicle, and scares it off in the process, did in fact occur. Azure sets this cookie for routing production traffic by specifying the production slot. In 2005, DuPont agreed to phase out its use of C8 (PFOA) by 2015, according to The Intercept. No one believed him when he told them about the things he saw happening to his land. Thing was, time was running out. Did they think no one would notice? Joseph and Darlene Kiger in Park City, Utah, in 2018. wilbur tennant farm location . oh, two-thirds bigger than it should be., The kidneys, too, looked abnormal. I could find no record of any such incident taking place. Next door to Tennant's farm was a landfill owned by E.I. 1: The Farm. November 25, 2019 12:03 PM EST. But two years before 3M announced its phaseout in 2000, the company informed EPA officials for the first time that PFOA and PFOS accumulate in human blood, take years to leave the body and dont break down in the environment. Sue Bailey was pregnant when she worked in the Teflon division of the plant. ATSDR/CDC also notes that more studies need to be done in the area of health effects, particularly on shorter-chain substances. The films portrayal of the physical toll that the excruciating, decadeslong legal battle against DuPont seems to have had on Bilotts health is also accurate. The Tennants were initially reluctant, especially because of its intended use, but DuPont promised it would house only nonhazardous waste, like scrap metal and ash, according to the Huffington Post. Company officials told one of Tennants brothers in person and in writing they planned to turn it into a landfill for office garbage nothing hazardous. apples, bread, green beans and ground beef. Bill Pullman was portraying me, and hes taller and younger, and everyone appeared to be drinking. Tennant didnt live to witness the scope of what unfolded after he persuaded Bilott to file the lawsuit about his dead cows. The West Virginia-based . The carcass was starting to smell. DuPont settled the Tennant case for an undisclosed amount. But that's just the start. Yes, the household name used as a cookware coating agent that is advertised to make food not stick and is known for its durability in . The visit to the Grahams' farm was one of his happiest childhood memories. There is something wrong with this water, Tennant says on the videotape. But a single letter, sent by a DuPont scientist to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, began unraveling a more alarming story. Issued by Microsoft's ASP.NET Application, this cookie stores session data during a user's website visit. In time, the connection between the Tennants and DuPont would run as deep as the Ohio River. They're in virtually everything we use, including stain-resistant fabric and carpets, nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, and firefighting foam. . We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Something is the matter right there. DuPont established a presence along the Ohio River in 1948 with the Washington Works plant near Parkersburg. The spleen was thinner and whiter than any spleen he had come cross. Their quest for justice wound its way through the American judicial system for nearly two decades, unearthing long-hidden deeds which, some reports say, are akin to those perpetrated by big tobacco on the public. By that point, 153 animals died had died grisly deaths on his property . Sure, bitters make cocktails taste great. We lurched down a rutted dirt road past the old clapboard farmhouse where he grew up. July 7, 1996 Washington, West Virginia. Class Action - Part 1. He owned 200 cows that grazed on 600 acres. As company scientists noted in internal documents, Nine out of ten people in the highest-dosed group were noticeably ill for an average of nine hours with flu-like symptoms that included chills, backache, fever, and coughing.. PFOA and PFOS are among more than 9,000 versions of synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Dont understand that at all. The pipe flowed out of a collection pond at the low end of a landfill. He died of cancer in 2009; he was 67. They concluded that 'the study was valid' and that 'the observed fetal eye defects were due to C8,' according to internal DuPont documents. . DuPont immediately removed all female workers from areas where they might come into contact with the chemical.". Something was killing cattle on his West Virginia farm, but no one wanted to help him prove that frothy, green-colored water coming from a neighboring property . Behind him, white-faced Herefords grazed in rolling meadows. You notice them dark place there, all down through? "I've been dealing with this for . Yes, DuPont is still in business, although it has struggled slightly to survive independently from time to time due to its poor public reputation. Photos by Focus Features and EPK. He made for an imposing figure at six feet tall, lean and broad shouldered, his . Ill do something about it.. Wilbur Tennant had become desperate. Patches of missing hair, discolorations in their . It was contaminated with high levels of PFOA. Hunting had been one of Earls greatest pleasures. His cattle were dying inexplicably, and in droves. This video contains graphic imagery. Dark Waters tells a story that in many ways is still being written, and itwill likely take years for this latest lawsuit to be resolved.