Monsanto: A Chemical War Comes Home (Part 2) - The History of Fresh Produce

Who was Edgar Queeny, the cold-eyed social Darwinist who inherited a chemical company from his father and turned it into one of the most powerful industrial forces in American history? Why did the man who helped trigger the atomic bomb, kept the Arsenal of Democracy running, and photographed brown bears in Alaska with Walt Disney also preside over a factory in West Virginia where workers were quietly being poisoned — and then denied compensation? And how does the story of a chemical explosion in Coal Country, a misfiled letter about dioxin, and thirteen men who couldn't afford to say no open a window onto the darkest chapter in the history of American agriculture; from the Manhattan Project to the jungles of Vietnam?Join John and Patrick for the second episode of their Monsanto series — the PCBs, the explosion at Nitro, the workers whose wives caught chloracne from their husbands' clothes, and the herbicide that was about to go to war — in an age when the company that made the bomb also made the weedkiller on your lawn...----------In Sponsorship with J&K Fresh.The customs broker who is your fruit and veggies’ personal bodyguard. Learn more here!-----------Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.Support us!Share this episode with your friendsGive a 5-star ratingWrite a review-----------Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more.-----------Instagram, TikTok, Threads:@historyoffreshproduceEmail: [email protected]