I haven't knowingly purchased a Dow product since Vietnam, because they manufactured Agent Orange. They have been close to the military for a very long time.

From the article:

[Gage] said top lieutenants to Stephen Johnson, the national EPA administrator, repeatedly questioned her aggressive action against Dow, which long ago acknowledged it is responsible for the dioxin contamination but has resisted federal and state involvement in cleanup plans.

If you're close to the military, you're close to an administration that is wedded to the military and inextricable from the billions of dollars made by the military-industrial complex.

Gabe was doomed the moment she tried to take Dow on.

But keep talking, please, Ms Gage. Please help some of your coworkers to find their spines and speak out against this blatant politicization.

The presence of Dioxin in the environment is an absolute crisis! One small example of this issue:

“… the Endometriosis Association [has] found that 79% of a group of monkeys developed endometriosis after exposure to dioxin in their food during a research study…”

The severity of endometriosis… …was directly related to the amount of TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin – the most toxic dioxin) to which they had been exposed. Monkeys that were fed dioxin in amounts as small as five parts per trillion developed endometriosis.”

“In addition, the dioxin-exposed monkeys showed immune abnormalities similar to those observed in women with endometriosis.”

As the father of a young woman who contracted this disease, I am appalled that the EPA would not relentlessly pursue the effort to rid the environment of it, and would instead direct this ‘hatchet job’ against a member of its regulatory staff who sought to insure the reduction of this danger.

If your are unfamiliar with this disease, you should understand that “endometriosis is an endocrine and immune disease that affects an estimated 89 million women and girls around the world, regardless of ethnic or social origin. The incidence of allergies, asthma, and chemical sensitivities in women with endometriosis is higher than in the general population. Women with endometriosis are also at higher risk for autoimmune diseases and certain types of cancers.”

More information about endometriosis and the causal link to dioxin is available from the Endometriosis Association, at http://endometriosisassn.org

Gee, maybe if either of the Bush daughters or their mother had contracted endometriosis, this might be a relevant issue to the morons in this administration. This is so pathetic…