Difference between revisions of "Dow Chemical"

From Powerbase
Jump to: navigation, search
 
(28 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Dow Chemical]] is a US multinational chemical company that offers a broad range of products and services to customers in more than 175 countries. Products include food and pharmaceuticals. Dow has annual sales of around $49 billion and employs 43,000 people worldwide. It spends around $1 bilion per annum in R&D.  
+
{{‪Template:Fracking badge‬}}
   
+
[[Dow Chemical]] is a US multinational chemical company that offers a broad range of products and services to customers in more than 175 countries. Products include food and pharmaceuticals. Dow has annual sales of around $49 billion and employs 43,000 people worldwide.
 +
 
 +
The company's vision is  "To be the largest, most profitable, and most respected chemical company in the world".
 +
 
 +
Dow Chemicals is an active member of the [[American Chemistry Council]], and an active partner in different programs and initiatives in both the [[World Bank]] and United Nations.  
  
 
== Joint ventures ==
 
== Joint ventures ==
Line 12: Line 16:
 
[[MEGlobal]]
 
[[MEGlobal]]
 
[[Univation Technologies]]  
 
[[Univation Technologies]]  
 
  
 
== Subsidiaries ==
 
== Subsidiaries ==
  
 +
Dow also has a number of subsidiaries, including:
 +
* [[Union Carbide Corporation]]
 +
* [[Dow AgroSciences]] LLC
 +
Dow AgroSciences is a global leader in providing pest management, agricultural seed and biotechnology products.
 +
Dow AgroSciences has approximately 5,500 people in more than 50 countries dedicated to its business, and has worldwide sales of US $3.4 billion.
  
Dow also has a number of subsidiaries, including [[Dow AgroSciences LLC]] and [[Union Carbide Corporation]].
+
[[Dow Agrosciences UK]] is part of Dow AgroSciences and develops and manufactures products in the following areas:
 +
Cereals | Grassland | Oilseed Rape | Potatoes | Sugar Beet | Fruit Crop | Vegetables | Forage Maize | Non-food Crops | Non-crop Pests
  
[[Dow Agrosciences UK]] part of AgroSciences LLC develops and manufactures products in the following areas
+
== Pesticides ==
Cereals
+
Grassland
+
Chlorpyrifos was until 2000 one of the most widely used household pesticides in the US. However, chlorpyrifos is also a nerve toxin and suspected endocrine disruptor and has been associated with carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and acute toxicity.  
Oilseed Rape
 
Potatoes
 
Sugar Beet
 
Fruit Crop
 
Vegetables
 
Forage Maize
 
Non-food Crops
 
Non-crop Pests
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Company's vision is "To be the largest, most profitable, and most respected chemical company in the world".
 
  
Dow Chemical is an active member of the [[American Chemistry Council]], and an active partner in different programs and initiatives in both the [[World Bank]] and United Nations.
+
In 1995, the US Environmental Protection Agency fined the company $732,000 for not sending the EPA reports concerning 249 Chlorpyrifos poisoning incidents. In June 2000, the company withdrew their registration of chlorpyrifos for use in homes and other places where children might be exposed, and restricted its use on crops. It continues to be marketed in developing countries, such as India, where sales literature claims it has "an established record of safety regarding humans and pets."
Products
 
  
 +
In 2003, the company paid a $2 million fine to the state of New York. This was imposed due to the company's illegal advertising of Chlorpyrifos as "safe".<ref>[http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Issue/pn63/pn63p17.htm 'Dow to pay $2 million fine for illegal safety claim'], ''Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK)'', article first appeared in ''Pesticides News'', No. 63, March 2004, page 17.</ref>
  
== Pesticides ==
+
In the UK chlorpyrifos is freely available and regularly used on lawns and golf courses. In July 2013 just two teaspoons of chlorpyrifos poured down a kitchen sink was held responsible for wiping out insect life on a 10-mile stretch of the Kennet, one the country's prime fishing rivers. [[Richard Benyon]], an environment minister who is also the local MP, is pushing for curbs on the domestic sale of chlorpyrifos. According to ''The Telegraph'', the Kennet incident was the latest in a series of scares:
 
Chlorpyrifos was until 2000 one of the most widely used household pesticide in the US. However, chlorpyrifos is also a nerve toxin and suspected endocrine disruptor and has been associated with carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and acute toxicity.  
 
In 1995, the US Environmental Protection Agency fined the company $732,000 for not sending the EPA reports concerning 249 Chlorpyrifos poisoning incidents. In June 2000, the Company withdrew their registration of chlorpyrifos for use in homes and other places where children might be exposed, and restricted its use on crops. It continues to be marketed in developing countries, such as India, where sales literature claimed it has "an established record of safety regarding humans and pets."
 
In 2003, the company paid a $2 million fine to the state of New York. This was imposed due to the Company's illegal advertising of Chlorpyrifos as "safe".
 
  
 +
:It was also held responsible for wiping out insect life on a large stretch of the River Roding in 1985, the River Wey in 2002 and 2003 and led to a significant number of fish being killed on the Rover Ouse in Sussex in 2001. Following the incident on the Kennet, people were advised not to allow water from a stretch between Marlborough and Hungerford to come into contact with their skin. <ref> By David Millward, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/10266406/Minister-demands-curb-on-pesticide-sale-after-it-wipes-out-insects-on-10-mile-stretch-of-river.html Minister demands curb on pesticide sale after it wipes out insects on 10-mile stretch of river], 3:42PM BST 26 Aug 2013, ''The Telegraph'',acc same day </ref>
  
 
== Agent Orange ==
 
== Agent Orange ==
  
 
+
Dow, along with Monsanto, supplied the US military with Agent Orange during the Vietnam war. This is a chemical defoliant which contains dioxin. Suring the war, dioxin from the defoliant found its way into the food chain and was linked to an increase in birth defects among Vietnamese people. In 2005, a lawsuit was filed by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against Dow and Monsanto. The companies argued that no link has been proved between Agent Orange and the alleged health problems and also that the companies could not be held responsible for the manner in which their products were used.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4305287.stm 'Agent Orange lawsuit opens in US'], ''BBC'', 1 March 2005.</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed.<ref>[http://www.nationmultimedia.com/homeUS-won-t-compensate-Vietnam-s-Agent-Orange-victims-30005755.html 'US won't compensate Vietnam's Agent Orange victims: official'], ''The Nation (Thailand)'', 5 June 2005.</ref> In 2006, a court in South Korea ordered Dow and Monsanto to compensate South Korean veterans of the Vietnam War and their families for Agent Orange-related injuries.<ref>[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11037756/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/court-rules-against-us-firms-agent-orange/#.V4TUDbgrKUk 'Court rules against U.S. firms on Agent Orange'], ''NBC News'', 26 January 2006.</ref>
 
Dow along with Monsanto supplied the US military with Agent Orange during the Vietnam war. This is a chemical defoliant which contains dioxin. Suring the war, dioxin from the defoliant found its way into the food chain and was linked to an increase in birth defects among Vietnamese people. In 2005, a lawsuit was filed by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against Dow and Monsanto. The companies argued that no link has been proved between Agent Orange and the alleged health problems and also that the companies could not be held responsible for the manner in which their products were used. {{ref|1}} The lawsuit was dismissed. {{ref|2}} In 2006, a court in South Korea did order Dow and Monsanto to compensate South Korean veterans of the Vietnam War and their families for Agent Orange-related injuries.[20]
 
 
 
  
 
== Board of directors ==
 
== Board of directors ==
  
Current members of the board of directors of The Company are:  
+
Current members of the board of directors of the Company are:  
 
* [[Arnold Allemang]]  
 
* [[Arnold Allemang]]  
 
* Professor [[Jacqueline Barton]]
 
* Professor [[Jacqueline Barton]]
Line 67: Line 58:
 
* [[Paul Stern]]  
 
* [[Paul Stern]]  
  
 +
== Finances ==
 +
In 2005 the company has operating profits of $5.4 billion<ref>'Top 50 Chemical Producers', Chemical and Engineering News, Vol. 84, Issue 20 (May 15, 2006), pp 10-15.</ref>
 +
In 2005 sales were $46.3 billion.
 +
In 2006 first-quarter net earnings were $1.2 billion.
 +
The company currently spends around $1 bilion per annum in R&D.
  
 +
==Affiliations==
 +
{{‪Template:Fracking badge‬}}
 +
* Dow is a member of the UK parliamentary [[All Party Group on Unconventional Oil & Gas]] set up in 2013, and a funder of the 'independent' [[Task Force on Shale Gas]] led by former [[Environment Agency]] chairman [[Lord Chris Smith]]
  
 +
*[[Dow Chemical]] was a donor to the [[Science Media Centre]] from 2006 to 2009 according to the SMC.<ref>Data from Internet Archive holdings of the Science Media Centre website, 2002-2013.
 +
*Apr 2006 http://web.archive.org/web/20060910221525/http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/funding.htm
 +
*Feb 2007 http://web.archive.org/web/20070829210611/http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/funding.htm
 +
*Jul 2008 http://web.archive.org/web/20081202143334/http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/pages/about/funding.htm
 +
*May 2009 http://web.archive.org/web/20090830202526/http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/pages/about/funding.htm</ref>
  
Dow CEO Andrew N. Liveris called 2005 the company's "best year ever" with operating profits of $5.4 billion, a jump of 56.5% compared with the previous year. [27] Net income rose more than 60% to $4.5 billion, on sales of $46.3 billion. 2006 looks as if it could be even better, with first-quarter net earnings of $1.2 billion. [28] All this is occurring in the context of adverse operating conditions, caused by high energy and raw material costs, and the effects of two damaging hurricanes.
+
==Contact==
Liveris supports the vertically integrated approach used at Dow, which produces everything from basic chemical feedstocks to high value products such as pesticides and reverse osmosis membranes. These value-adding product chains, along with Dow's wide product range, help the company to weather the storms of the global economy. Despite this, high energy and feedstock costs may begin to take their toll, particularly if global demand begins to fall just as supply is rising.
+
:General Information
Like many chemical companies, Dow is facing pressures of regulation in the US and Europe, particularly as the EU introduces its new REACH policy. Litigation costs in the US taken over by Dow as a result of its 2001 takeover of Union Carbide also remain a concern.
+
:Phone: 800-258-2436 (U.S. and Canada)
For these reasons the company is looking to the Middle East and Asia for new projects. In Kuwait , Dow is constructing (with PIC of Kuwait) a new world-scale ethane cracker for production of ethylene, along with an ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant and (for 2008) a facility for production of aromatic hydrocarbons. In Oman, the company is working with the Oman government to build a new world-scale polyethylene plant. In China, the company is collaborating with Shenhua Group (the country's largest coal mining company) to improve catalyst efficiency to allow viable conversion of coal to olefins. Dow is also seeking to expand its R&D presence in Asia, adding 600 jobs in Shanghai by the end of 2007, and the company may open up a large R&D center in India.
+
:       +1 989-636-1000
The joint ventures planned for Asia are typical of Dow's "asset-light" approach, which works by offering a combination of intellectual property and money in exchange for a share in a world-scale production facility. At the same time, the company is considering selling a share of some of its existing assets in order to free up cash.
+
:Fax:  +1 989-832-1556
In June 2006 Liveris announced Dow's safety and environmental goals for 2015: [28]
 
75% reduction in environmental, health and safety indicators from 2005. The company aims to have no fatalities, and a reduction in injuries, spillages and leaks.
 
25% increase in energy efficiency.
 
2.5% annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity.
 
Liveris expects these goals to be reached predominantly with fossil fuels, through energy conservation and reduction of energy intensity, as he does not expect alternative energy to play a major role for at least 10-20 years.
 
 
 
 
 
 
== References ==
 
 
 
 
 
Notes
 
1.^ Hall of Fame Inventor Profile. National Inventors Hall of Fame.
 
2.^ Corporate Profile. The Dow Chemical Company.
 
3.^ Fast Facts. The Dow Chemical Company.
 
4.^ Corporate Profile. The Dow Chemical Company.
 
5.^ Chemical and Engineering News, Vol. 84, Issue 22 (May 29, 2006), pp 10-15
 
6.^ ANGUS Chemical Company. The Dow Chemical Company.
 
7.^ Chemical and Engineering News, Vol. 84, Issue 22 (May 29, 2006), pp 10-15
 
8.^ Dow Chemical. University of Michigan Department of Geography.
 
9.^ Brandt, E.N. (1997). Growth Company: Dow Chemical's First Century. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press. ISBN 0-87013-426-4. 
 
10.^ Dow Announces Plant Closures To Strengthen Competitive Position. The Dow Chemical Company (August 31, 2006).  
 
11.^ Political Economy Research Institute
 
12.^ Center for Public Integrity
 
13.^ On This Day: December 3, 1984. British Broadcasting Corporation.
 
14.^ Response: Union Carbide and Dow Chemical. British Broadcasting Corporation (November 25, 2004).
 
15.^ "Panel Confirms No Major Illness Tied to Implants" (June 21, 1999), The New York Times
 
16.^ Chronology of silicone breast implants. Frontline
 
17.^ Colas, André; Curtis, Jim (2004). Biomaterials Science, Second Edition: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine. Elsevier, Academic Press. ISBN 978-0125824637. 
 
#{{note|1}}  Agent Orange lawsuit opens in US. BBC (March 1, 2005).
 
#{{note|2}}  US won't compensate Vietnam's Agent Orange victims: official. Todayonline.com (June 6, 2006).
 
20.^ Court rules against U.S. firms on Agent Orange. MSNBC (January 26, 2006).
 
21.^ About Dow Corning. Dow Corning.
 
22.^ Wade, Cheryl (June 24, 2006). Governor visits HSC; expansion plans on schedule. Midland Daily News.
 
 
 
 
25.^ The Dow Event Center. The Dow Chemical Company.
 
26.^ Welcome to the Dow Event Center. Dow Event Center.
 
27.^ "Top 50 Chemical Producers", Chemical and Engineering News, Vol. 84, Issue 20 (May 15, 2006), pp 10-15
 
28.^ a b "Liveris Tells It Like It Is", Chemical and Engineering News, Vol. 84, Issue 22 (May 29, 2006), pp 10-15
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
== Contact details ==
+
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
  
* Address: UK HQ, Latchmore Court,Brand Street,HITCHIN SG5 1NH
+
[[Category:Chemical Industry]][[Category:GM]][[Category:Fracking]][[Category:Science Media Centre]]
* Tel: 01462 457272
 
* E-mail: DowAgroSciencesUK@dow.com
 
* Website: http://dowagro.com/uk/
 

Latest revision as of 13:44, 27 January 2017

FrackWell.png This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

Dow Chemical is a US multinational chemical company that offers a broad range of products and services to customers in more than 175 countries. Products include food and pharmaceuticals. Dow has annual sales of around $49 billion and employs 43,000 people worldwide.

The company's vision is "To be the largest, most profitable, and most respected chemical company in the world".

Dow Chemicals is an active member of the American Chemistry Council, and an active partner in different programs and initiatives in both the World Bank and United Nations.

Joint ventures

Dow has joint ventures with the following companies:

Compañía Mega, S.A. Dow Corning Corporation EQUATE Petrochemical Co. K.S.C. Equipolymers MEGlobal Univation Technologies

Subsidiaries

Dow also has a number of subsidiaries, including:

Dow AgroSciences is a global leader in providing pest management, agricultural seed and biotechnology products. Dow AgroSciences has approximately 5,500 people in more than 50 countries dedicated to its business, and has worldwide sales of US $3.4 billion.

Dow Agrosciences UK is part of Dow AgroSciences and develops and manufactures products in the following areas: Cereals | Grassland | Oilseed Rape | Potatoes | Sugar Beet | Fruit Crop | Vegetables | Forage Maize | Non-food Crops | Non-crop Pests

Pesticides

Chlorpyrifos was until 2000 one of the most widely used household pesticides in the US. However, chlorpyrifos is also a nerve toxin and suspected endocrine disruptor and has been associated with carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and acute toxicity.

In 1995, the US Environmental Protection Agency fined the company $732,000 for not sending the EPA reports concerning 249 Chlorpyrifos poisoning incidents. In June 2000, the company withdrew their registration of chlorpyrifos for use in homes and other places where children might be exposed, and restricted its use on crops. It continues to be marketed in developing countries, such as India, where sales literature claims it has "an established record of safety regarding humans and pets."

In 2003, the company paid a $2 million fine to the state of New York. This was imposed due to the company's illegal advertising of Chlorpyrifos as "safe".[1]

In the UK chlorpyrifos is freely available and regularly used on lawns and golf courses. In July 2013 just two teaspoons of chlorpyrifos poured down a kitchen sink was held responsible for wiping out insect life on a 10-mile stretch of the Kennet, one the country's prime fishing rivers. Richard Benyon, an environment minister who is also the local MP, is pushing for curbs on the domestic sale of chlorpyrifos. According to The Telegraph, the Kennet incident was the latest in a series of scares:

It was also held responsible for wiping out insect life on a large stretch of the River Roding in 1985, the River Wey in 2002 and 2003 and led to a significant number of fish being killed on the Rover Ouse in Sussex in 2001. Following the incident on the Kennet, people were advised not to allow water from a stretch between Marlborough and Hungerford to come into contact with their skin. [2]

Agent Orange

Dow, along with Monsanto, supplied the US military with Agent Orange during the Vietnam war. This is a chemical defoliant which contains dioxin. Suring the war, dioxin from the defoliant found its way into the food chain and was linked to an increase in birth defects among Vietnamese people. In 2005, a lawsuit was filed by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against Dow and Monsanto. The companies argued that no link has been proved between Agent Orange and the alleged health problems and also that the companies could not be held responsible for the manner in which their products were used.[3] The lawsuit was dismissed.[4] In 2006, a court in South Korea ordered Dow and Monsanto to compensate South Korean veterans of the Vietnam War and their families for Agent Orange-related injuries.[5]

Board of directors

Current members of the board of directors of the Company are:

Finances

In 2005 the company has operating profits of $5.4 billion[6] In 2005 sales were $46.3 billion. In 2006 first-quarter net earnings were $1.2 billion. The company currently spends around $1 bilion per annum in R&D.

Affiliations

FrackWell.png This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

Contact

General Information
Phone: 800-258-2436 (U.S. and Canada)
+1 989-636-1000
Fax: +1 989-832-1556

Notes

  1. 'Dow to pay $2 million fine for illegal safety claim', Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK), article first appeared in Pesticides News, No. 63, March 2004, page 17.
  2. By David Millward, Minister demands curb on pesticide sale after it wipes out insects on 10-mile stretch of river, 3:42PM BST 26 Aug 2013, The Telegraph,acc same day
  3. 'Agent Orange lawsuit opens in US', BBC, 1 March 2005.
  4. 'US won't compensate Vietnam's Agent Orange victims: official', The Nation (Thailand), 5 June 2005.
  5. 'Court rules against U.S. firms on Agent Orange', NBC News, 26 January 2006.
  6. 'Top 50 Chemical Producers', Chemical and Engineering News, Vol. 84, Issue 20 (May 15, 2006), pp 10-15.
  7. Data from Internet Archive holdings of the Science Media Centre website, 2002-2013.