Book: The Cyanide Canary by Joseph Hilldorfer and Robert Dugoni

There is a young man named Scott Dominguez. He lives in Idaho and used to work for a man named Allan Elias in Soda Springs, Idaho. On August 27, 1996, Scott was told by Allan to clean some sludge off the floor of a large cylindrical tank, a tank lying horizontal and accessible only through a 22-inch diameter hole in the top. (This tank looked like those everyone has seen on long trains.) Allan had always scoffed at safety regulations and was remiss in all aspects of protecting his workers or in properly and safely and conscientiously disposing of toxic wastes. He was also a lawyer and a slick con man, a man who would do anything to protect his self interests. He was glib, a liar, a criminal.

Scott was overcome by cyanide fumes while working in the tank and, though he survived, he was and is severely brain damaged due to the exposure.

This book recounts the nearly 4-year-long investigation and eventual court case that followed that August day when Scott's life became irreversibly compromised. The acronyms generally get sorted out (OHSA, EPA, HAZMAT, CID, DEA, ECS) over the years spent on this case. There are lawyers, investigators, physicians, law enforcers, Scott's coworkers, family and friends....and his boss, Allan. It was revelatory to me how environmental abuses and the prosecution for these abuses is such a long tangled tale, often with political shenanigans and meddling. The authors explain that often these crimes are considered "white collar" and therefore are not taken as seriously nor is the punishment as onerous as blue collar crimes.

It is a sad story, but also a story of the men and women who did not give up and who were passionate about bringing justice. It was a difficult book to put down; I read it in a day or two. Environmental crimes and the punishment of those responsible is still far from a certainty as this story made very clear. As we citizens become aware of possibilities for pollution in our communities and of the hazards for ourselves and, more specifically, for those who work in potentially toxic environments and ask questions, such abuses will become more difficult to conceal, ignore, dismiss.....

I have also been reading Sacrifice Zones by Steve Lerner about similar issues. His scope was more broad. He wrote about 12 towns which have had the misfortune to live with contaminated air, water and/or soil. These towns have been horrendously polluted by either the military or corporations, and the residents (often the poor, disenfranchised and without many resources) have had to organize and fight for years to effect cleanups and be compensated for significant medical issues resulting from the toxicity and for the costs of moving to less dangerous neighborhoods if the pollution is too massive. These towns are:
1. Ocala, FL (charcoal factory).
2. Pensacola, FL (dioxin).
3. Port Arthur, TX (refineries and chemical plants nearby).
4. Corpus Christi, TX (benzene).
5. Addyston, OH (plastics plant).
6. Marietta, OH (manganese).
7. Tallevast, FL (high-tech weapons company contamination).
8. San Antonio, TX (contamination from Kelly Air Force Base).
9. Daly City, CA (contaminated soil).
10. St. Lawrence Island, AL (former US military bases).
11. Greenpoint, NY (oil spill beneath Brooklyn neighborhood).
12. Fallon, NV (naval air station and tungsten smelter).

Environmental pollution is real, lethal and will continue. Pay attention locally.