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87-634: Kanawha and New River Power Company, a subsidiary of Union Carbide , diverted the New River to increase power generation at a plant in Alloy, West Virginia . Beginning in March of 1930, its contractor Rinehart & Dennis began construction of the 3-mile (4.8 km) tunnel carrying the river under Gauley Mountain. A dam was constructed immediately below Hawks Nest to divert most of the New River flow into

174-444: A class-action civil lawsuit won at a jury trial in 2013. Dow settled the suit in 2016 for $ 835 million. In the early 1990s, Dow embarked on a major structural reorganization. The former reporting hierarchy was geographically based, with the regional president reporting directly to the overall company president and CEO. The new organization combines the same businesses from different sites, irrespective of which region they belong (i.e.

261-538: A day in 1902. Early in the company's history, a group of British manufacturers tried to drive Dow out of the bleach business by cutting prices. Dow survived by also cutting its prices and, although losing about $ 90,000 in income, began to diversify its product line . In 1905, German bromide producers began dumping bromides at low cost in the U.S. in an effort to prevent Dow from expanding its sales of bromides in Europe. Instead of competing directly for market share with

348-476: A deteriorated credit market and the collapse of the K-Dow Petrochemical deal as reasons for failing to timely close the merger. Around the same time, CEO Andrew Liveris said a first- time cut to the company's 97- year- old dividend policy was not "off the table". On 12 February 2009, the company declared a quarterly dividend of $ 0.15/share, down from $ 0.42 the previous quarter. The cut represented

435-506: A first 750000 tonne per year unit, while other units would become available in the future. An ethylene production facility was expected to start up in the first half of 2017. On 27 March 2015, Dow and Olin Corporation announced that the boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Dow will separate a significant portion of its chlorine business and merge that new entity with Olin in

522-572: A newly-built complex known as the Union Carbide Corporate Center . 270 Park Avenue later became the headquarters of JPMorgan Chase . The building was demolished and replaced with a new 1,200-foot-tall (370 m) tower serving as the consolidated headquarters for JPMorgan Chase. At 700 feet (210 m) tall, the Union Carbide Building was the tallest building in the world ever voluntarily demolished at

609-491: A possible leveraged buyout of Dow. The two executives have since filed lawsuits claiming they were fired for being a threat to CEO Liveris, and that the allegations were concocted as a pretext. However, in June 2008 Dow Chemical and the litigants announced a settlement in which Kreinberg and Reinhard dropped their lawsuits and admitted taking part in discussions "which were not authorized by, nor disclosed to, Dow's board concerning

696-442: A possible 'runaway reaction'. Around midnight on 3 December 1984, gas was accidentally released from the plant, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC and other chemicals. The Government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 16,000 deaths related to the gas release. It left an estimated 40,000 individuals permanently disabled, maimed, or suffering from serious illness, making it the world's worst industrial disaster . Following

783-650: A potential LBO" and acknowledged that it would have been appropriate to have informed the CEO and board of the talks. In summer 2008, Dow sold its zoxamide business to Gowan Company. Included in the sale were the trademarks for a potato and grape fungicide called Gavel (fungicide) . It is employed by potato growers to control early and late potato blight and is also registered in Canada for control of downy mildew in grapes , except in British Columbia . In

870-528: A range of insecticides (such as Lorsban ), herbicides and fungicides . Seeds from genetically modified plants are also an important area of growth for the company. Dow AgroSciences sells seeds commercially under the following brands: Mycogen ( grain corn , silage corn , sunflowers , alfalfa , and sorghum ), Atlas ( soybean ), PhytoGen ( cotton ) and Hyland Seeds in Canada (corn, soybean, alfalfa, navy beans and wheat ). The Dow AgroSciences business unit

957-482: A share) on 9 March 2009. On 12 April 2007, Dow dismissed two senior executives for "unauthorized discussions with third parties about the potential sale of the company". The two figures are executive vice president Romeo Kreinberg , and director and former CFO J. Pedro Reinhard. Dow claims they were secretly in contact with JPMorgan Chase ; at the same time, a story surfaced in Britain's Sunday Express regarding

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1044-567: A tank containing 2,4,5-T , one of the composites that is used in the production of Agent Orange. The settlement of the case included $ 9 million for the cleanup of affected homes in the area, and $ 84 million to cover the medical monitoring and treatment of people affected by the explosion, as well as legal costs for the claimants. No care has been given for the in state damage done by the Headquarters in Midland, Michigan, and they refuse to give

1131-561: A transaction that will create an industry leader, with revenues approaching $ 7 billion. Olin, the new partnership, became the largest chlorine producer in the world. On 11 December 2015, Dow announced that it would merge with DuPont , in an all-stock deal. The combined company, which was known as DowDuPont , had an estimated value of $ 130 billion, was equally held by the shareholders of both companies, and maintained their respective headquarters in Michigan and Delaware. Within two years of

1218-612: A valve failure after a buildup of pressure in a storage tank containing 500 pounds of the chemical. A company spokesman insisted that the aldicarb oxime leak "never was a threat to the community." Union Carbide's operations in Australia commenced in 1957, when it purchased the plant of the Australian-owned company Timbrol Ltd. The Timbrol factory was on the shore of Homebush Bay in the Sydney suburb of Rhodes . Homebush Bay

1305-511: A wide range of crops including cotton , beans , canola , cereals , crucifers , cucurbits , and vegetables. Dinitroanilines, are also known as " DNA herbicides ", and have been commercialised at least since 1970. Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene , polyurethane , polyethylene , polypropylene , and synthetic rubber . It is also a major producer of ethylene oxide , various acrylates , surfactants , and cellulose resins. It produces agricultural chemicals including

1392-567: Is Dow's largest site, and the largest integrated chemical manufacturing site in the country. The site grew quickly – with power, chlorine, caustic soda and ethylene also soon in production. Growth of this business made Dow a strategic company during World War II, as magnesium became important to manufacture lightweight parts for aircraft . Based on 2002–2003 data, the Freeport plants produced 27 billion lbs of product – or 21% of Dow's global production. In 1942, Dow began its foreign expansion with

1479-527: Is a business unit which manufactures Filmtec reverse osmosis membranes which are used to purify water for human use in the Middle East. The technology was used during the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics . The DW&PS business unit remained with DowDuPont following the April 2019 spin-off. Agricultural Sciences, or ( Dow AgroSciences ), provides 7 percent of sales and is responsible for

1566-880: Is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average . Founded in 1917 as the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation , from a merger with National Carbon Company , the company's researchers developed an economical way to make ethylene from natural gas liquids, such as ethane and propane , giving birth to the modern petrochemical industry . The company divested consumer products businesses Eveready and Energizer batteries, Glad bags and wraps, Simoniz car wax and Prestone antifreeze . The company divested other businesses before being acquired by Dow including electronic chemicals, polyurethane intermediates, industrial gases (Linde) and carbon products. The Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation

1653-540: Is an American chemical company. UCC is a wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) of Dow Chemical Company . Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume commodities and others are specialty products meeting the needs of smaller markets. Markets served include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture, and oil and gas. The company

1740-490: Is located several miles from Martha White’s farm at Summersville where many of the black miners were buried, since they were not allowed to be buried in "white" cemeteries. The Memorial has the following text: This Memorial honors an estimated 764 tunnel workers who died from mining a 3.8 mile tunnel through Gauley Mountain to divert water from the New River to a hydroelectric plant near Gauley Bridge in 1930–31. The tunnel cut through almost pure silica in some areas and exposed

1827-465: Is normally produced using a base chemical, methyl isocyanate (MIC). Initially this plant imported MIC, but in 1979 the company decided to manufacture the ingredients on their own. They built a MIC unit within the Bhopal plant. This plant was located next to a very densely populated neighborhood, and heavily trafficked railway station. Locating it near this densely populated area was a direct violation of

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1914-583: Is on the Parramatta River which flows into Sydney Harbour . Tibrol produced phenol , the insecticides chlorobenzene / chlorophenol / DDT , and the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T . Union Carbide continued the production of the 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T until 1976 and chlorobenzene/chlorophenol/DDT until 1983. Union Carbide also commenced the production of bisphenol A in 1960 and phenol formaldehyde resins in 1964. Union Carbide reclaimed land on neighboring properties by depositing spent lime and ash into

2001-594: The Cold War , the company was active in the field of rocket propulsion research and development for aerospace and guided missile applications, particularly in the field of chemicals and plastics, solid rocket motors , and storable liquid fuels . R&D and engineering were conducted at the Technical Center in South Charleston, West Virginia . The Aerospace Materials Department was part of

2088-591: The Environmental Protection Agency to remove 50,000 cubic yards (38,000 m ) of sediment from three areas of the riverbed and levees of the river that had been found to be contaminated. In November 2008, Dow Chemical along with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality agreed to establish a Superfund to address dioxin cleanup of

2175-615: The Financial crisis of 2007–2008 , it would accelerate job cuts resulting from its reorganization. The announced plan included closing 20 facilities, temporarily idling 180 plants, and eliminating 5,000 full-time jobs (about 11 percent of its work-force) and 6,000 contractor positions. Citing the global recession that began in the latter half of 2008, the Kuwaiti government scuttled the K-Dow partnership on 28 December 2008. The collapse of

2262-492: The Rocky Flats Plant near Denver, Colorado . Rocky Flats was a nuclear weapons production facility that produced plutonium triggers for hydrogen bombs . Contamination from fires and radioactive waste leakage plagued the facility under Dow's management. In 1957 a fire burned plutonium dust in the facility and sent radioactive particles into the atmosphere. The Department of Energy transferred management of

2349-551: The United States , have subsequently found that silicone breast implants do not cause breast cancers or any identifiable systemic disease. The Bhopal disaster occurred at a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Ltd., a subsidiary of Union Carbide , in 1984. A gas cloud containing methyl isocyanate and other chemicals spread to the neighborhoods near the plant where more than half a million people lived. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed 3,787 deaths related to

2436-471: The Vietnam War until 1973. Dow was one of several manufacturers who began producing the napalm B compound under government contract from 1965. After experiencing protests and negative publicity, the other suppliers discontinued manufacturing the product, leaving Dow as the sole provider. The company said that it carefully considered its position, and decided, as a matter of principle, "its first obligation

2523-513: The common equity interest of Rohm and Haas Co. for $ 15.4 billion, which equated to $ 78 per share. The buyout was financed with equity investments of $ 3 billion by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and $ 1 billion by the Kuwait Investment Authority . The purpose of the deal was to move Dow Chemical further into specialty chemicals , which offer higher profit margins than the commodities market and are more difficult to enter for

2610-922: The pesticide Lorsban and consumer products including Styrofoam . Some Dow consumer products, including Saran wrap, Ziploc bags, and Scrubbing Bubbles were sold to S. C. Johnson & Son in 1997. Performance plastics make up 25% of Dow's sales, with many products designed for the automotive and construction industries . The plastics include polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene , as well as polystyrene used to produce Styrofoam insulating material. Dow manufactures epoxy resin intermediates including bisphenol A and epichlorohydrin . Saran resins and films are based on polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC). The Performance Chemicals (17 percent of sales) segment produces chemicals and materials for water purification , pharmaceuticals , paper coatings , paints and advanced electronics . Major product lines include nitroparaffins, such as nitromethane , used in

2697-519: The "chemical companies' chemical company", as its sales are to other industries rather than directly to end-use consumers. Dow is a member of the American Chemistry Council . In 2015, Dow and fellow chemical company DuPont agreed to a corporate reorganization involving the merger of Dow and DuPont followed by a separation into three different entities. The plan commenced in 2017, when Dow and DuPont merged to form DowDuPont, and

Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster - Misplaced Pages Continue

2784-646: The 1921 winner of the Indianapolis 500 used the Dowmetal pistons in his vehicle. In the 1930s, Dow began producing plastic resins, which would grow to become one of the corporation's major businesses. Its first plastic products were ethylcellulose , made in 1935, and polystyrene , made in 1937. From 1940 to 1941, Dow built its first plant in Freeport, Texas , to produce magnesium extracted from seawater rather than underground brine . The Freeport plant

2871-617: The 1975 Bhopal Development Plan. This development plan posed that hazardous industries such as the MIC plant be located in a different part of the city that was further away, and downwind, from more densely populated areas. According to one of the authors of the Bhopal Development Plan, "Union Carbide India Limited's" initial application for a permit was rejected, yet the company was able to gain approval from centralized governing authorities. In 1982, Carbide's auditors had warned of

2958-629: The 3,000 workers. Many of the workers at the site were African-Americans from the southern United States who returned home or left the region after becoming sick, making it difficult to calculate an accurate total. A memorial to the Hawks Nest workers and a grave site is located at 98 Hilltop Drive in Mount Lookout , near Summersville Lake and U.S. Route 19 ( 38°14′04.24″N 80°51′09.22″W  /  38.2345111°N 80.8525611°W  / 38.2345111; -80.8525611 ). The site

3045-505: The Bhopal disaster, a faulty valve at the UC plant in Institute, West Virginia caused a large cloud of gas that injured six employees and caused almost 200 nearby residents to seek medical treatment for respiratory and skin irritation. Union Carbide blamed the leak of aldicarb oxime (made from MIC but does not contain any MIC itself), the main ingredient in the popular farm pesticide Temik , on

3132-445: The Bhopal disaster. William S. Stavropoulos served as president and chief executive officer of Dow from 1995 to 2000, then again from 2002 to 2004. He relinquished his board seat on 1 April 2006, having been a director since 1990 and chairman since 2000. During his first tenure, he led the purchase of UCC, which proved controversial, as it was blamed for poor results under his successor as chief executive officer, Mike Parker. Parker

3219-498: The German producers, Dow bought the cheap German-made bromides and shipped them back to Europe. This undercut his German competitors. Even in its early history, Dow set a tradition of rapidly diversifying its product line. Within twenty years, Dow had become a major producer of agricultural chemicals, elemental chlorine , phenol and other dyestuffs , and magnesium metal. During World War I , Dow supplied many war materials that

3306-709: The Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay . In December 2015, Dow Chemicals agreed to sell part of its global herbicide business, which had reported falling sales for nearly a year. A portfolio of weed killers known as dinitroanilines was sold to privately held Gowan Company , a family owned company located in Yuma , Arizona , which markets a variety of pesticides to the agricultural and horticultural industries. The global trademarks for Treflan (pesticide) ®, which can be sprayed on field corn , cotton and some fruit and vegetables, were included in

3393-552: The U.S. military during the Vietnam War. In 2005, a lawsuit was filed by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against Dow and Monsanto Co. , which also supplied Agent Orange to the military. The lawsuit was dismissed. In 2012, Monsanto agreed to a $ 93 million settlement as a result of a case pursued by ex-Monsanto employees and citizens in the city of Nitro, WV. In 1949, a chemical plant in Nitro experienced an explosion that damaged

3480-622: The United States had previously imported from Germany. Dow produced magnesium for incendiary flares, monochlorobenzene and phenol for explosives, and bromine for medicines and tear gas. By 1918, 90 percent of Dow's production was geared towards the war effort. At this time, Dow created the diamond logo that is still used by the company. After the war, Dow continued research in magnesium, and it developed refined automobile pistons that produced more speed and better fuel efficiency. The Dowmetal pistons were used heavily in racing vehicles, and

3567-555: The accident was an act of sabotage by a plant worker. The plant site has not yet been cleaned up. Hazardous chemicals can still be found in the now abandoned site. Warren Anderson , CEO at the time of the disaster, refused to answer to homicide charges and remained a fugitive from India's courts. The U.S. denied several extradition requests. Anderson died on 29 September 2014 in Florida. Seven UCC employees were convicted of criminal negligence in 2010 and fined $ 2,000 each. The year after

Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster - Misplaced Pages Continue

3654-663: The adjacent marshes in Homebush Bay . This practice, which had been approved by the Maritime Services Board, ceased in 1970. Union Carbide ceased operations in Australia in 1985. In 1987, the New South Wales Pollution Control Commission ordered Union Carbide to remediate the site. This work, which cost Union Carbide $ 30 million, was conducted between 1988 and 1993. The work involved excavation and encapsulation of

3741-906: The bodies of about 48 miners while widening U.S. Route 19 . The location of the site was rediscovered with help of West Virginia State University professor Richard Hartman, after local couple George and Charlotte Yeager spearheaded effort to build the memorial in 2009. The Memorial was dedicated on September 7, 2012. There is also a Historical Marker at nearby Hawks Nest State Park , which reads: Construction of nearby tunnel, diverting waters of New River through Gauley Mt for hydroelectric power, resulted in state's worst industrial disaster. Silica rock dust caused 109 admitted deaths in mostly black, migrant underground work force of 3,000. Congressional hearing placed toll at 476 for 1930-35. Tragedy brought recognition of acute silicosis as occupational lung disease and compensation legislation to protect workers. Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation ( UCC )

3828-485: The cancer-causing chemical dioxin in November 2006. The dioxin was located in sediments two to ten feet below the surface of the river, and, according to The New York Times , "there is no indication that residents or workers in the area are directly exposed to the sites". However, people who often eat fish from the river had slightly elevated levels of dioxin in their blood. In July 2007, Dow reached an agreement with

3915-470: The company set up a chemicals division which manufactured ethylene glycol for use as automotive antifreeze . The company continued to acquire related chemical producers, including the Bakelite Corporation in 1939. The company changed its name to "Union Carbide Corporation" in 1957 and was often referred to as Carbide. It operated Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1947 to 1984. During

4002-480: The company would not complete the Rohm & Haas transaction, as the cash from the former transaction was expected to fund the latter. The deal was expected to be finalized in early 2009 and was to form one of the nation's largest specialty chemicals firms in the U.S. However, on 26 January 2009 the company informed Rohm and Haas that it would be unable to complete the transaction by the agreed upon deadline. Dow cited

4089-570: The company's Carbon Products Division. Ucar batteries was Carbide's industrial and consumer zinc chloride battery business. The business, including Eveready and Energizer alkaline batteries , was sold to Ralston Purina in 1986, following a hostile takeover attempt. After the Bhopal disaster , Union Carbide was the subject of repeated takeover attempts. In order to pay off its debt, Carbide sold many of its most familiar brands such as Glad Trashbags and Eveready Batteries. Dow Chemical announced

4176-414: The competition. The purchase was criticized by many on Wall Street who believed Dow Chemical overpaid (about a 75 percent premium on the previous day's market capital) to acquire the company; however, the high bid was needed to ward off competing bids from BASF. The transaction to purchase the outstanding interest of Rohm and Haas was closed on 1 April 2009. On 8 December 2008, Dow announced that due to

4263-561: The contaminated soil. In 2004, the New South Wales Minister for Planning granted consent for additional remediation of the former Union Carbide site to proceed, including parts of Homebush Bay. Approximately 900,000 tons of soil were excavated from the site, 190,000 tons of soil from the adjacent Allied Feeds site, and approximately 50,000 tons of sediment from the bay. Remediation of the Allied Feeds Site

4350-470: The cover of darkness to Summersville and buried unceremoniously on a farm. Later these graves had to be moved to widen US Route 19. The remains were disinterred in 1972 and transported several miles to the present site. The decomposed remains were placed in child size coffins and reburied here, resulting in about 48 small grave depressions seen at this grave site. The memorial was created at the site, unmarked for 40 years, where Department of Highways reburied

4437-440: The deal dealt a blow to Dow CEO Andrew Liveris ' vision of restructuring the company to make it less cyclical . However, on 6 January 2009 Dow Chemical announced they were in talks with other parties who could be interested in a major joint venture with the company. Dow also announced they that it would be seeking to recover damages related to the failed joint venture from PIC. After the K-Dow deal collapsed, some speculated that

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4524-535: The decision. On 23 April 2009 a Los Angeles judge threw out two cases against Dole and Dow due to fraud and extortion by lawyers in Nicaragua recruiting fraudulent plaintiffs to make claims against the company. The ruling casts doubt on $ 2 billion in judgments in similar lawsuits. In February 2013 a federal court rejected two tax shelter transactions entered into by Dow that created approximately $ 1 billion in tax deductions between 1993 and 2003. The court wrote that

4611-932: The direct parent company of The Dow Chemical Company. Also in 2019 Dow employees won an Adhesives and Sealants Council Innovation Award for "UV Curable Primer that Enables Hard to Bond INFUSE Olefin Block Copolymer Midsole Foams in High Performance Footwear". Dow Chemical has begun to shed commodity chemical businesses, such as those making the basic ingredients for grocery bags and plastic pipes, because their profit margins only average 5–10%. Dow is, as of 2015, focusing its resources on specialty chemicals that earn profit margins of at least 20%. Areas along Michigan's Tittabawassee River , which runs within yards of Dow's main plant in Midland , were found to contain elevated levels of

4698-402: The early 1960s, Union Carbide Corporation began mining a newly identified outcrop of chrysotile asbestos fibers near King City and New Idria, California . These fibers were sold under the brand name "Calidria", a combination of "Cal" and "Idria", and sold in large quantities for a wide variety of purposes, including additives for joint compound or drywall accessory products. Union Carbide sold

4785-420: The effects of silica dust in the lungs. A large number of the workers eventually died from silicosis, in some cases as quickly as within a year. There are no definitive statistics as to the death toll from the Hawks Nest disaster. According to a historical marker on site, there were 109 admitted deaths. A Congressional hearing placed the death toll at 476. Other sources range from 700 to over 1,000 deaths amongst

4872-483: The evidence to the community. A major manufacturer of silicone breast implants , Dow Corning (Dow Chemical's Joint Venture with Corning Inc. ) was sued for personal damages caused by ruptured implants. On 6 October 2005, all such cases pending in the District Court against the company were dismissed. A number of large, independent reviews of the scientific literature, including the Institute of Medicine in

4959-411: The facilities will employ about 3000 people, and 5000 people during construction. The plants will manufacture materials for several of its growing segments, including hygiene and medical, transportation, electrical and telecommunications, packaging, consumer durables and sports and leisure. Dow's new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility in Freeport, Texas, was expected to come online in 2015, with

5046-528: The facility to Rockwell International in 1975. In 1990, nearby residents filed a class action lawsuit against Dow and Rockwell for environmental contamination of the area; the case was settled in 2017 for $ 375 million. According to the Appellate Court, the owners of the 12,000 properties in the class-action area had not proved that their properties were damaged or they had suffered bodily injury. The United States military used napalm bombs during

5133-406: The falsification of test results and the recruitment of plaintiffs who had never worked at Dole plantations. While Nicaraguan courts awarded the plaintiffs over $ 600 million in damages, they have been unable to collect any payment from the companies. A group of plaintiffs then sued in the United States, and, on 5 November 2007, a Los Angeles jury awarded them $ 3.2 million. Dole and Dow vowed to appeal

5220-408: The first time the company had diminished its investor payout in the dividend's 97-year history. The transaction to purchase the outstanding interest of Rohm and Haas closed on 1 April 2009. After negotiating the sale of preferred stock with Rohm and Hass' two largest stockholders and extending their one-year bridge loan an additional year, the company purchased Rohm and Haas for $ 15 billion ($ 78

5307-514: The formation of Dow Chemical of Canada in Sarnia, Ontario , to produce styrene for use in styrene-butadiene synthetic rubber . Also during the war, Dow and Corning began their joint venture, Dow Corning , to produce silicones for military and, later, civilian use. The Ethyl-Dow Chemical Co. plant at Kure's Beach, NC , the only plant on the East Coast producing bromine from seawater,

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5394-465: The formation of a joint venture, later named K-Dow, with Petrochemical Industries Co. (PIC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation . In exchange for $ 9.5 billion, the agreement included Dow selling 50-percent of its interest in five global businesses: polyethylene, polypropylene and polycarbonate plastics, and ethylenamines and ethanolamines . The agreement was terminated by PIC on 28 December 2008. On 10 July 2008, Dow agreed to purchase all of

5481-534: The fourth quarter of 2014, Dow announced new operating segments in response to its previously announced leadership changes. The company stated it would give further support to its end-market orientation and increase its alignment to Dow's key value chains – ethylene and propylene. Several plants on the Gulf Coast of the US have been in development since 2013, as part of Dow's transition away from naphtha. Dow estimates

5568-464: The gas release. The leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. Union Carbide was sued by the Government of India and agreed to an out-of-court settlement of US$ 470 million in 1989. Dow Chemical acquired Union Carbide in 2001. Activists want Dow Chemical to clean up the site which is now controlled by

5655-464: The incident, organizations representing the victims in Bhopal filed a U.S. $ 10 billion injury claim against Union Carbide. Additionally, the Government of India filed its own $ 3.3 billion claim against the company. Union Carbide's response was an offer in the range of $ 300-$ 350 million. In 1989 the company paid $ 470 million to the Indian government as a final settlement. Broken down, the total cost of

5742-560: The merger was pushed back a second time pending regulatory approvals. The same day, Dow also announced that it had reached a deal to acquire Corning Incorporated 's stake in their joint venture Dow Corning for $ 4.8 billion in cash and a roughly 40% stake in Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation . In 2019, DowDuPont de-merged, forming Dow Inc. The spin-off was completed on 1 April 2019, at which time Dow Inc. became an independent, publicly traded company, and

5829-429: The merger's closure, DowDuPont was set to split into three separate public companies, focusing on the agriculture, chemical, and specialty product industries. Shareholders of each company held 50% of the combined company. In the new entity, Dow Chemical chief executive officer Andrew N. Liveris became executive chairman and DuPont chief executive officer Edward D. Breen became chief executive officer. In January 2017,

5916-425: The mine to its employees under the name KCAC ("King City Asbestos Mine") in the 1980s, but it only operated for a few more years. Union Carbide India Limited , owned by Union Carbide (50.9%) and Indian investors (49.1%), operated a pesticide plant in Bhopal , the capital of Madhya Pradesh . This plant was opened in 1969. The pesticides and herbicides they produced were created from a insecticide carbaryl , which

6003-409: The pharmaceutical industry and manufactured by Angus Chemical Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Co. Important polymers include Dowex ion-exchange resins , acrylic and polystyrene latex , as well as Carbowax polyethylene glycols . Specialty chemicals are used as starting materials for production of agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Dow Water and Process Solutions (DW&PS)

6090-437: The project more than twice as quickly as original projections. They were not given any masks or breathing equipment to use while mining, although management wore such equipment during inspection visits. Black workers told Congress in 1936 that they were denied breaks and even forced to work at gunpoint. As a result of the exposure to silica dust, many workers developed silicosis , a debilitating and incurable lung disease caused by

6177-483: The purchase of Carbide in 1999 for $ 8.89 billion in stock. The deal was consummated in 2001 and valued at $ 11.6 billion. The Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster took place between 1927 and 1932 in a West Virginia tunnel project led by Union Carbide. During the construction of the tunnel, workers found the mineral silica and were asked to mine it for use in electroprocessing steel. The workers were not given masks or breathing equipment to use while mining, despite best practices at

6264-502: The sale, as well as a formulation and packaging facility in Fort Saskatchewan , Alberta , Canada. Edge (pesticide) ®, Team (pesticide) ®, Bonalan (pesticide) ® and Sonalan (pesticide) ®, intellectual property and labels for herbicides based on the molecules trifluralin , benfluralin and ethalfluralin were also included in the sale. Annual grasses and small seeded broadleaf weeds can be controlled with these products in

6351-537: The settlement to Union Carbide's expenses was 43 cents per share, an amount criticized by some for its comparison to the annual report post-settlement declaring earnings per share. In that 1988 report, Union Carbide claimed to have had its best year yet, citing a record $ 4.88 earnings per share (this figure included the 43 cents per share charge from the Bhopal settlement). After the settlement, Union Carbide’s parent company divested its entire stake in UCIL. Carbide insists

6438-521: The state of Madhya Pradesh . Until the late 1970s, Dow produced DBCP (1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane), a soil fumigant, and nematicide , sold under the names the Nemagon and Fumazone. Plantation workers who alleged that they became sterile or were stricken with other maladies subsequently sued both Dow and Dole Foods in Latin American courts. The cases were marred by extensive fraud, including

6525-478: The time. Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan , United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc. , a publicly traded holding company incorporated under Delaware law . With a presence in around 160 countries, it employs about 36,000 people worldwide. Dow has been called

6612-480: The time. Due to silica dust exposure, many workers developed silicosis , a debilitating lung disease. According to a marker on site, there were 109 admitted deaths. A congressional hearing placed the death toll at 476, but a book published by epidemiologist Martin Cherniack, and as stated by the U.S. National Park Service, estimated the death toll to be 764, making it America's deadliest industrial disaster. In

6699-472: The transactions were "schemes that were designed to exploit perceived weaknesses in the tax code and not designed for legitimate business reasons". The schemes were created by Goldman Sachs and the law firm of King & Spalding , and involved creating a partnership that Dow operated out of its European headquarters in Switzerland. Dow stated that it had paid all tax assessments with interest. The case

6786-574: The tunnel. It then re-enters the river near Gauley Bridge leaving a section known as "the Dries" in between. Facing widespread unemployment during the Great Depression , about three thousand men, three-quarters of whom were Black, came to West Virginia to dig the tunnel. They worked ten to fifteen hour shifts, using drills and dynamite to mine the sandstone, which was composed primarily of cemented quartz ( silica ) sand. The workers completed

6873-508: The unprotected workers to silica dust that quickly caused acute silicosis, a fatal lung disease. This is considered America's worst industrial disaster. Workers in the tunnel were primarily migrant workers, mostly black, who were paid a few dollars per day. When they became sick, many were driven out of the camps to die elsewhere. Those African Americans who died in the camps could not be buried in local "white" cemeteries. A few were sent by rail back to their families. More were taken at night under

6960-415: The vice president for Polystyrene is now in charge of these plants all over the world). At the beginning of August 1999, Dow agreed to purchase Union Carbide Corp. (UCC) for $ 9.3 billion in stock. At the time, the combined company was the second largest chemical company, behind DuPont. This led to protests from some stockholders , who feared that Dow did not disclose potential liabilities related to

7047-582: Was against the Internal Revenue Service seeking a refund of the taxes paid. The case was appealed to the 5th Circuit court, where Dow's claims were again rejected. Dow has petitioned for an en banc hearing by the 5th Circuit, arguing that the decision was contrary to established case law. Dow Chemical was implicated in a price-fixing scheme that inflated the cost of polyurethane for customers. The U.S. Justice Department closed an investigation in 2007 without charges or recommendations, but

7134-545: Was attacked by a German U-boat in 1942. In the post-war era, Dow began expanding outside of North America, founding its first overseas subsidiary in Japan in 1952, and in several other nations soon thereafter. Based largely on its growing plastics business, Dow opened a consumer products division, beginning with Saran wrap in 1953. Based on its growing chemicals and plastics businesses, Dow's sales exceeded $ 1 billion in 1964 and $ 2 billion in 1971. From 1951 to 1975, Dow managed

7221-786: Was completed in August 2009, Homebush Bay sediments in August 2010, and the Union Carbide site in March 2011. The cost of the remediation work was $ 35M for the Allied Feeds site, and $ 100 million for Union Carbide site and Homebush Bay sediments. The former Union Carbide headquarters building, at 270 Park Avenue in New York City, was a 52-story modernist office building designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 1960. The company relocated its headquarters to Danbury, Connecticut in 1983, to

7308-540: Was dismissed and Stavropoulos returned from retirement to lead Dow. On 31 August 2006, Dow announced that it planned to close facilities at five locations: In 2006, Dow formed the Business Process Service Center (BPSC). In December 2007, Dow announced a series of moves to revamp the company. A 4 December announcement revealed that Dow planned to exit the automotive sealers business in 2008 or 2009. Within several weeks, Dow also announced

7395-494: Was finalized in April 2019, when the materials science division was spun off from DowDuPont and took the name of the Dow Chemical Company. Dow was founded in 1897 by chemist Herbert Henry Dow , who invented a new method of extracting the bromine that was trapped underground in brine at Midland, Michigan. The company originally sold only bleach and potassium bromide , achieving a bleach output of 72 tons

7482-731: Was formed on November 1, 1917, from the merger of the Union Carbide Company founded in 1898, the National Carbon Company founded in 1886, Linde Air Products Company , a maker of liquid oxygen at Buffalo confiscated from Gesellschaft für Linde's Eismaschinen AG under the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 , and the Prest-O-Lite company, manufacturer of calcium carbide in Indianapolis . In 1920,

7569-602: Was to the government". Despite a boycott of its products by anti-war groups and harassment of recruiters on some college campuses, Dow continued to manufacture napalm B until 1969. Agent Orange , a chemical defoliant containing dioxin , was also manufactured by Dow in New Plymouth , New Zealand, and Midland, Michigan, in the United States for use by the British military during the Malayan Emergency and

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