Community celebrated publication of PBB Disaster at 50.

On Friday evening, April 26, the community celebrated the publication of The PBB Disaster at 50 book and Film Release and the digital archive growing from the May 2023 PBB at 50 conference. The celebration was held at the Historic Wright Leppien Opera House in Alma, MI

On Friday, April 26, 2024, community members and partners celebrated the 50th anniversary of chemist-turned-farmer Frederic "Ric" Halbert and USDA scientist Dr. George Fries providing the state with irrefutable proof of the PBB disaster. To mark 50 years of community activism, advocacy, and partnerships, we released the anthology The PBB Disaster at 50: Reflections, Critical Lessons, and a Path Forward, as well as screened "The PBB Disaster at 50 Conference" film (both included below). In addition, we screened the short film, "Unfinished Business: Michigan's PBB Disaster 50 Years Later," by a crew of public history and history students at Central Michigan University, which explores the history and significance of the PBB disaster from their perspective, as well as invites a new generation of community members to get involved (we'll share it soon!). We intend for these materials to be community and educational resources.

The PBB Disaster at 50: Reflections, Critical Lessons, and a Path Forward is an anthology developed in the year after The PBB Disaster at 50 Conference. The volume is edited by Brittany B. Fremion (Central Michigan University) and Benjamin L. Peterson (Alma College) and features remarks, essays, and images from community members, partners, and artists. Contributors include Norman B. Keon, Margaret Hoyt, Terri (Shafer/Pell) Fountain, Carol Norman, Thomas H. Corbett, Edward Lorenz, Adam Ellsworth, Kathleen Gregones, Jane-Ann Crowley, Jennifer Knowles, Joy Vosburg, Debra Shore, Sheryle Dixon, and the Michigan PBB Registry Team (Emory University).

The book is made possible by funding from Michigan Humanities and is intended to be an open-access community and educational resource. To access a free copy, please click the "eBook" button below.

The PBB Disaster at 50 Conference Film (2024)

The short film created by Mark Boardman of Boardman Video Productions (Cadillac, MI) documents and highlights events from "The PBB Disaster at 50: A Conference to Commemorate and Learn from the Poisoning of Michigan" held at Alma College May 18-20, 2023. The film is one of several outcomes from the conference and is intended to help raise awareness about the disaster.

The PBB Disaster at 50 Conference Film, May 18-20, 2023

The PBB Disaster at 50: A Conference to Commemorate and Learn from the Poisoning of Michigan was held May 18-20, 2023 @ Alma College in Alma, MI

In 1973 Michigan Chemical Company (owned by Velsicol) in St. Louis, Michigan, accidentally shipped a flame retardant,  polybrominated biphenyl  (PBB), to a livestock feed mill, where it was mixed into animal feed. Despite the destruction of over 30,000 contaminated animals and food products, PBB entered the human food supply exposing an estimated 8.5 million Michiganders. The impact of this contamination, one of the largest in American history, continues to this day.

This conference commemorated the 50th anniversary of Michigan's PBB disaster by bringing together scientists, artists, policy makers, and community members to explore the history and legacy of this large-scale contamination. Through this multidisciplinary experience we brought the critical lessons of the disaster back into public discussion and consciousness, with the hope it will inspire continued action to address long-term environmental and human health outcomes. 

This conference was funded by a Humanities Grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and a grant from the Pine River Arts Council, along with generous support from Alma College, Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and the  Michigan PBB Registry , the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Central Michigan University,  The Pine River Superfund Citizen Task Force , the PBB Citizen Advisory Board, and US Environmental Protection Agency.