Sometimes Netflix delivers…
If you have Netflix, I am sure you watched the multi-chaptered Zero Day if only because Robert de Niro stars in it. A very special movie in cinematic presentation; it kept me riveted. However, after following that by watching a supposed Rom/Com in an effort to allow my brain to rest, I then discovered a British film which is a must-see!

The film has four [4] chapters so it may require a couple of evenings to watch. Called Toxic Town it is somewhat like Dark Waters & Erin Brockovich but with a different edge. In those two instances, the fight was again corporations that were not carrying out their businesses in a legal let alone ethical way. In this story, the company, a steel firm, has long gone (and with it the 11,000 jobs it provided) and the town/city is attempting to resurrect the site for a renewal of the community itself. It is touted as a win/win for all. However, the processes like those in the other stories are neither legal nor ethical and deformed babies are the result. But the catch is that the fight is against elected leaders and how that all unfolds makes for a most compelling story.

I will definitely work this into my Environmental Health Applied Ethics course. And when I do, I will no doubt give you an update. Nevertheless don’t wait for that moment to arrive. Go to your Netflix site, search for Toxic Town and watch it for yourself. Early on there is a particularly telling comment by one of the mothers. She is bemoaning the fact that no one is listening to them and she says the problem is: I’m just a mom! Too true and too revealing — but then again, with determination, Moms can be just the solution!

Reflectively
g.w.