The story of a group of Goodyear Tire and Rubber workers fatally exposed to toxic chemicals, the lawyer who sought justice on their behalf, and the shameful lack of protection our society affords all workers
A gripping narrative in the tradition of A Civil Action and Toms River
Working at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company chemical plant in Niagara Falls, New York, was considered a good job. It was the kind of industrial manufacturing job that allowed blue-collar workers to thrive in the latter half of the 20th century—that allowed them to buy their own home, and maybe a small boat for the lake.
But it was also the kind of job that exposed you to toxic chemicals and offered little to no protection from them, either in the way of protective gear or adequate ventilation. Eventually, it was a job that gave you bladder cancer.
The Cancer Factory tells the story of the workers who experienced one of the nation’s worst, and best-documented, outbreaks of work-related cancer, and the lawyer who has represented the bladder-cancer victims at the plant for more than 30 years. Goodyear, and its chemical supplier, DuPont, knew that two of the chemicals used in the plant had been shown to cause cancer, but made little effort to protect the plant’s workers until the cluster of cancer cases—and deaths—was undeniable.
In doing so it tells a broader story of corporate malfeasance and governmental neglect. Workers have only weak protections from exposure to toxic substances in America, and regulatory breaches contribute to an estimated 95,000 deaths from occupational illness each year. Based on 4 decades of reporting and delving deeply into the scientific literature about toxic substances and health risks, the arcana of worker regulations, and reality of loose enforcement, The Cancer Factory exposes the terrible health risks too many workers face.
“A devastating and thorough critique of corporate greed, deception, and lack of concern for worker health.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Heartbreaking and infuriating, Morris’ storytelling jars the reader out of complacency. With luck, The Cancer Factory can also be an instrument for change.”
—BookPage, Starred Review
“A powerful indictment of corporate greed and regulatory laxity and a moving commentary on its human costs.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Morris’s chronicle vividly reveals the dangers of cancer, birth defects, and other health complications in chemical factories while holding out hope for change for the better in spite of polarized politics and corporate influence.”
—Booklist
“Heartbreaking and infuriating, Morris’ storytelling jars the reader out of complacency. With luck, The Cancer Factory can also be an instrument for change.”
—Deborah Mason, BookPage
“Morris’s book offers a chilling account of alleged corporate negligence, emphasizing the need for continuous vigilance to protect workers’ health and safety. It is a wakeup call for professionals in the field, urging them to remain steadfast in their pursuit of a safer working environment for all.”
—Shane Mercer, Canadian Occupational Safety
“No journalist knows more about toxic chemicals in the workplace than Jim Morris. The Cancer Factory is the crowning achievement of his estimable career spent walking fence lines, factory floors, and doctor’s offices. By the time you’ve finished it, you will not only know why manufacturers and the government have failed abjectly to protect workers; you will also understand the terrible consequences of their neglect.”
—Dan Fagin, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Toms River
“The Cancer Factory could not come at a better time, as we reckon with how our bodies pay the price for our nation’s toxic history and as today’s workers fight not for only their rights but for their very lives. In telling the breathtaking story of the Goodyear workers, Jim Morris writes with passion, precision, and moral clarity. He shows how the devastation in Niagara Falls is part of a much larger systemic failure to value people over profits—and what it will take to create a more just future. A powerful and essential read.”
—Anna Clark, author of The Poisoned City
“Veteran journalist Jim Morris has written a must-read chronicle of how DuPont and other chemical manufacturers conceal information about the hazards of the chemicals they manufacture, then deny responsibility when exposure to their products destroys lives and devastates families. It is a terrific book.”
—David Michaels, former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and author of The Triumph of Doubt
“The Cancer Factory is the book Jim Morris was meant to write, the culmination of decades of dogged reporting on the slow-motion disaster of occupational disease. Morris deftly weaves together a shameful history of corporate deception, regulatory failures, and political cowardice with an intimate accounting of the devastating consequences for workers. He writes with restrained outrage of the damning evidence he has unearthed and with deep empathy for the mechanics, technicians, stonecutters, lawyers, physicians, and scientists pressing for justice. By illuminating a dark corner of American industry—one that receives far too little attention, even as laborers continue to die from long-known hazards while facing an onslaught of novel poisons—Morris has done a great public service.”
—Chris Hamby, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter for the New York Times and author of Soul Full of Coal Dust
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Niagara Falls Becomes an Industrial Leviathan
CHAPTER 2
Ray and Dottie
CHAPTER 3
An American “Casualty List”
CHAPTER 4
A New Law, Promptly Assailed
CHAPTER 5
Tyler’s Asbestos Disaster
CHAPTER 6
Vinyl
CHAPTER 7
Harry Breaks Free
CHAPTER 8
Eula
CHAPTER 9
A Blue-Collar Social Club
CHAPTER 10
DuPont and Dominic
CHAPTER 11
Cancer Erupts at Goodyear
CHAPTER 12
Reagan
CHAPTER 13
Harry Moves Up
CHAPTER 14
What Is Bladder Cancer?
CHAPTER 15
The Goodyear Epidemic Spreads
CHAPTER 16
Ray and Harry Get Bad News
CHAPTER 17
Wodka Fortifies His Case Against DuPont
CHAPTER 18
Chemicals Are Out of Control
CHAPTER 19
Old Scourges Revisited
CHAPTER 20
Kids
CHAPTER 21
Ray and Harry in Retirement
CHAPTER 22
Wodka Finishes the Fight
CHAPTER 23
Wodka’s Crucible
CHAPTER 24
Workers Are (Mostly) on Their Own
CHAPTER 25
“This Stuff Just Doesn’t Give Up”
Postscript
Acknowledgments
References
Index
- “The ‘Silent Spring’ for American Workers, a Labor Safety Alarm Call,” Beacon Broadside, essay
- “Welcome to the Cancer Factory,” The Progressive, op-ed
- “The Cancer Factory,” Texas Observer, Q&A
- “A toxin that won’t quit,” Harvard Public Health Magazine, write-up
- “Book Excerpt: The Cancer Factory, by Jim Morris,” Public Health Watch, excerpt
- “Exposé into Goodyear Tire bladder cancer cases,” Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine, write-up
- “Editors’ Picks: Best History Books of January,” Amazon, selected as best book in history for the month of January