Special Guests: Mimi Pickering and ?

The towns of Bhopal, India, and Institute, West Virginia, share a common feature: Union Carbide plants manufacturing a toxic gas known as MIC. On December 3, 1984, this noxious gas spread over Bhopal, killing thousands. Quickly, a cloud of fear settled in over Institute. It being the only locale in the U.S. manufacturing MIC, serious attention was drawn to the predominantly African American community. Chemical Valley begins with Bhopal and follows the issues as they drift across what has been called "the chemical capital of the world" because of a string of plants operated by substance abusers such as Monsanto, DuPont, and FMC. Posing those who fear for their livelihoods against those who fear for their lives, the plant operators hoped to stifle any chemical reaction. Pickering's documentary thoughtfully tracks the efforts of community activists trying to coax some accountability out of an industry that generally ignores the cultural and environmental seepage.