'The Devil We Know' screening set for Jan. 24

LACONIA — 'The Devil We Know', a documentary detailing Dupont's alleged decades-long coverup of harm caused by a chemical used to make teflon, will be shown Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia, 172 Pleasant St.

The public is invited and admission is free. The movie will be followed by a potluck dessert and discussion.

The film, directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jeremy Seifert, tells the story of Wilbur Tenant of Parkersburg, W.V., who sold a piece of his land to Dupont for nonhazardous waste disposal. Over time, his farm animals exhibited deformities and some died, from a chemical called C-8.

Discharge from the plant was discovered in the Ohio River. 3M decided to discontinue the use of C-8, but Dupont continued, after the EPA declared consumer products safe, possibly due to influence of Mike McCabe. A class action law suit was initiated by Joe Kigan on the health effects of C-8, and a study was initiated in 2005 to determine the links to human disease. With 70,000 participants, the Stine Haskall Research Center linked several diseases to C-8.

Dupont has discontinued use of C-8, and substituted genX. Dupont and their spinoff company Chemours declined to participate in the documentary.

Information on the Winnipesaukee Basin Program will also be available.