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Chlordane Ban Efforts, 1981-1988
The Chlordane Ban Efforts, 1981-1988 series documents the long struggle of WMEAC and individuals from the local community to support the enactment of a statewide ban on the use of the pesticide Chlordane (a termiticide used extensively by Michigan pest control companies). The series is composed of three parts: Chlordane Investigation (Michigan Dept. of Health), 1985-1986; Newberry, Robert E., (WMEAC Program Specialist and Executive Director) and; Tvedten Steve (Stroz, Inc.).
Taken together these files illustrate how a typical WMEAC environmental campaign was organized and implemented, and elucidate the various dynamics involved in the interaction of the group with private individuals and businesses and local/state government. The correspondence of Steve Tvedten, president of a Grand Rapids pest control company who became concerned with the health effects of the chemical on his workers and homeowners, in conjunction with the correspondence of Robert Newberry of the WMEAC staff, exemplifies how an individual's concerns were translated into effective political action by WMEAC. The materials on the Chlordane Investigation by the Michigan Dept. of Health (1985-1986) document how WMEAC was able to counteract and question the validity of a government-sponsored investigation which claimed that Chlordane was safe to use. The culmination of the efforts documented in these records was the signing of a state law banning the use of this dangerous pesticide by Governor Blanchard in 1988.