Cycle race sponsor DuPont manufactured the toxic chemical found in Teflon and other water-resistant products

CYCLE racing has a troubled history of doping, as we know. Riders taking dangerous chemicals to assist them in their work.  Today the sport insists doping is not so nearly as widespread as before.

But given this history of chemical abuse in cycling, how ironic that a sponsor associated with the sport is chemical giant, the American company, DuPont, based in West Virginia.

You may be aware of the dark side to this company. I wasn’t until recently. This astonishing and alarming story was only revealed in all its gory details a few years ago after lengthy litigation spanning two decades. It tells how DuPont manufactured a toxic chemical knowing it to be a health risk, and which has ultimately killed people. The record states it has made its way into the blood stream of every person on the planet.

Non-stick Teflon (left) non toxic (right)

Some might ask if this case is any worse than the health risks from burning oil and there are millions of vehicles, factories out there burning the black gold.

The big difference, though, insofar as oil is concerned, is that it was nearly a century after oil was first used in the automotive industry (1859, in the USA, I believe) before the risks became known. So this was in the 1960s and yes, you guessed it, oil companies kept quiet about it! Shush. Money to be made.

They probably would have kept the lid on it had they known from the beginning!

However, if there is a distinction to be made it is that DuPont knew the health risks when first making PFOA, kept quiet and went ahead anyway. Money to be made.

As bad as each other. We’re all fucked, if the truth be known.

Anyway, back to the DuPont story which really has pissed me off given that they boast to making stuff to make our lives easier and healthier.

There are three aspects to it, the exposure of employees to the chemical PFOA,  the dumping the toxic waste into the water supply and onto the land and  using this chemical in a wide range of water-resistant products used world-wide.

This from The Conversation: By 1989, many DuPont employees were diagnosed with cancer and leukaemia. Yet while these events were detailed in internal corporate documents, the media only reported the toxic spills in 2000. In 2001, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Parkersburg residents. On February 13 2017, DuPont agreed to pay US$671 million to settle the case.

*The Conversation is a network of not-for-profit media outlets publishing news stories and research reports online, with accompanying expert opinion and analysis.

I became aware of this scandal recently after watching the true life film, Dark Waters.

Dark Waters is a 2019 American legal thriller film directed by Todd Haynes and written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan. The story is a dramatization of lawyer Robert Bilott's case against the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont.

After many years DuPont was eventually forced to settle over 3500 personal injury claims arising from the leak of poisonous waste products into the water supply in West Virginia.

The day after watching this disturbing film, Dark Waters I turned on the television to watch a bike race and caught sight of the finish line banner. It has the name DuPont writ large upon it.

Hell, I thought! 

Clearly, the scandal which is revealed in terrifying detail in the film, has barely touched DuPont, as though the story belonged to a parallel universe. And here they are, few years down the line with a stake in sport, what we might call a “green washing” arrangement.

But it won’t ever wash with the people of West Virgina who took the major hit from this company’s work.

For this is a tragedy in human and also animal terms - one farmer lost his entire herd of cattle poisoned from drinking contaminated water. The farmer, Earl Tennant, discovered his cattle were dying. He was sure they were drinking contaminated water from a creek on his land and he was proved right. 

Tennant wanted answers and so lawyer Rob Bilott took up his case and was shocked at the sheer scale of this scandal which has reached far beyond West Virginia.

He wrote a book about it, “Exposure: Poisoned Water Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s 20-year Battle against DuPont.”

This book was the story behind the thriller I saw recently -  Dark Waters -  and the documentary, The Devil We Know.

The chemical at the centre of this is called perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA) – also known as C-8. It is called a “forever chemical” for it will last forever in the environment.

The film gets to the nitty gritty. This chemical is used in the production of Teflon and other stain and water resistant products.

The story revealed how PFOA is linked to serious diseases such as kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Bilott says that a small group of people …. “coordinated the intentional manufacture and release of a lethal poison that had special properties that meant, once released into the world, it would be inevitable that it would make its way into the blood of virtually every person on the planet, even babies in their mother’s womb, and stay there, like a ticking bomb.”

Here is DuPont’s mission statement. “…to create sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer and healthier life for people everywhere.”

Net sales last year were $16.7bn, up 16 per cent on the previous year.

(The Organic Consumers Association tells the story in lurid detail

'The Devil We Know:' How DuPont Poisoned the World with Teflon - Organic Consumers) 

 

 

ALL HAIL KING SEPP

 

The bare facts will record how American Sepp Kuss won the 2023 Vuelta a Espana leading Jumbo-Visma to a historic triumph in being the first team to win all three Grand Tours in one year.

And that Kuss rode all three!  The team topped it off  by taking the top three positions overall in Spain.

Sepp Kuss, winner of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana

The story gets even better when we take into account the intrigue concerning what appeared to be devious plotting to deny Kuss that victory when both Roglic and Vingegaard, turning their pedals anger, attempted to wrest the red jersey from him.

It was a story which rocked the sport in the final week before it all came good in the end.

For wasn’t that the most magical moment when Jumbo – Visma’s Sepp Kuss, the American super domestique, upset the hierarchy – Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic - to  emerge as the new star of the decade.

His meritorious victory in the Vuelta in Madrid was achieved despite their best efforts to oust him!

What a controversy, as he put their noses out of joint, the two men he has faithfully always served. For he had helped Denmark’s Vingegaard to win of the Tour de France in July, a month after helped Slovenia’s Roglic take the Giro in May.

What an outrage then when this pair attacked Kuss when leading them in Spain, trying in vain to take the red jersey off him in the closing kilometers over two successive days including the toughest of mountain stages in the final week.

Sepp Kuss in the red jersey of race leader.

So what was going on in the private confines of the Jumbo team bus? Where was the show of solidarity to back their new star?

Clearly, the original Jumbo plan was to have either Vingegaard or Roglic go for top overall honours. As proven Grand Tour winners that’s what was expected of them. And Kuss was to be the mainstay, helping pave the way, as he had done so often in the past.

So perhaps when Kuss surprised and took the overall lead on stage 8, they saw him as “caretaker” of the jersey. They expected him, the “lessor” rider, to slip back in due course leaving the gate open for the “top” guys later in the race.

But what if he didn’t fall back. What if he began to look like a winner himself?  Which is exactly what happened.  Had they even considered a change to the script?

We all knew that Kuss had it in him to try. And this year my gut feeling was that he had it in him to win.

 We have watched him pace those two guys for kilometer after kilometer in the past, burning himself out before peeling off as they launched their efforts.

Was there a team discussion about the possibility that one day he might just be better than those two? And if this should happen would the team change strategy and support him.

It doesn’t look like it. More like the team was going to leave the riders to sort it themselves, man on man, as Roglic said.  

Whatever, clearly Vingegaard and Roglic held to the belief that the race was theirs to fight for, even as Kuss looked more and more the champion with a substantial margin over them both and worth defending.

The pair of them clearly had invested a lot of mental energy as well as specific training to carry out the team’s wishes, for one of them to take the race. We must not overlook that.

So focused were they on their quest, they failed to see, or didn’t want to see, that the world had changed around them.

And so they went about their business, failed to recognize that the time was right to repay Kuss for his years of service – including in both the Giro and Le Tour this year, where he worked hard as a pace setter on the steep slopes,  chasing down attacks from others, so that they didn’t wear themselves out, perhaps weaken themselves before they chose the moment to push on themselves.

But that counted for nothing. To hell with all that.

And so they attacked this usurper who had had the temerity to find himself ahead of them on general classification.

They would put him in his rightful place.  He’s their domestique, right. Hang him out to dry, set the GC to rights.

Vingegaard tried first on hilly stage 16 to Bejes, when he attacked with just under 5 kilometers to go, leaving Kuss on steep slopes averaging 9 per cent for the last 4.7 kilometers and he took a comfortable win. It was suggested that Kuss had shown the first signs of weakness that day, but if he did, it soon passed and he finished in 10^th place, four seconds behind Roglic. But Vingegaard had cut Kuss’s advantage to 29 seconds.

 

Then on stage 17 – Kuss’s 29^th birthday - both Vingegaard and Roglic attacked one after the other and distanced Kuss once again.

 

They cut loose in the final kilometers of the monstrous climb of the Angliru to finish at the top where Roglic outsprinted Vingegaard to win.  It’s described as 13 kilometers of hell, with an average gradient of 14 per cent, but with slopes of 20 per cent for good measure!

Vingegaard closed the gap to Kuss to only eight seconds and leapfrogged to second overall ahead of Roglic now third overall, who cut his deficit on Kuss to 1 minutes 8 seconds.

But Kuss wasn’t finished, taking third place on the stage – a Jumbo-Visma 1, 2,3.  And he kept the red jersey.

However, the attacks by his two teammates caused howls of

outrage across social media platforms and the press took  Vingegaard and Roglic apart.

It seemed to us that so inflated were their egos they couldn’t bring themselves to return the favour. So wired were they in their desire to win again they simply jumped ship, scarpered up the road, left him behind. I wonder what Kuss thought at the moment?

As it was they couldn’t take back enough time to dislodge him.

And they reckoned without the reaction of cycling fans across the world and the press who turned on them with a vengeance to lambast their acts of selfishness.

We can only wonder what words the management had for them that night. Whatever they said, clearly they told the pair of them that Kuss was now the protected rider that they must fall in line behind him.

It appeared to do the trick and the two rogues did as told, made sure Kuss reached Madrid in Red.

And they did that, although Roglic’s frozen smiles told you all you needed to know about how he felt about it. Vingegaard did genuinely look more relaxed.

History will recall when the new star first rose to the top. It was on stage eight won by Roglic that Kuss, the team's best placed rider overall, took  7^th place at 2sec, and rose to the top of the overall classification. He took the famous red jersey which would be his for the rest of race.

At that point,  Kuss led the race by 43 seconds from Soler and by one minute from Martinez in third. Roglic was 7^th overall at 2-38 and  Vingegaard 8th at 2-42.

There you have the new pecking order for Jumbo-Visma – or not!

The American had finally spread his wings as we all knew he could, and he would hold the lead for the rest of the Spanish race even as Vingegaard and Roglic closed up, moved up to second and third overall respectively.

Kuss had stood firm under attack from his very own teammates and clearly showed he had the class to win a Grand Tour.

So it was that the 29-year-old took the top step of the podium in Madrid on Sunday evening, flanked by Vingegaard in second place and Roglic in third.

It was, in the end, a truly magnificent victory for Kuss and the Jumbo Visma team. Hail King Sepp.

 

Ex-government minister encourages vandals to 'commit criminal damage' against traffic cameras

 

Science tells us that pollution is causing climate change and that transport is a major contributory factor warming the planet. And that this  will lead to sea level rise. 

 Lancashire will become particular vulnerable and large tracts of land will become submerged  within the next seven years. (Check out the Lancashire Telegraph and Lancs Alive.)

Yet the recent transport news leaves me reeling at the growing opposition to what the government is calling the "ruinous" race to net zero - to cut pollution. 

The struggle to limit pollution is failing as the Conservatives turn  important issues into political football in the hope of boosting flagging support for their failed policies.

Worse, one former minister and the right-wing press are encouraging vandals to commit criminal damage to traffic cameras, as reported by The Guardian.

 Not only that but gains made in road safety are beginning to unravel which will only deter people from cycling which, as we know, is the recommended mode of transport for many short journeys currently made by car. 

The government on the one hand reluctantly acknowledges the need to cut pollution but on the other cynically, devises policies which will only increase it, such as opposing schemes aimed at restricting the worst polluting vehicles in towns by charging to enter Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ).

There is another government action which will also increase traffic. This is the proposal to remove Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes, which have these past 30 years, improved the quality of life for many residents, and also made local roads safer for cycling. 

First off, though, ULEZ.  To drive into these low emision zones will cost you if driving a vehicle not classed as low emission.

This scheme has caused an outcry among drivers and the Conservatives have seized upon this to win votes by championing "poor" people who say they cannot afford to pay.

ULEZ was introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who wants to extend it to every London borough.

So desperate are the Conservatives to discredit the ULEZ scheme, MPs have – unbelievably - resorted to encouraging vandals to attack cameras at the zone entry points. Some 600 cameras of the 3000 needed to enforce the new London zone have so far been destroyed!

So much for the self-styled “party of law and order”!  says The Guardian who ran the story on Friday last - written by Polly Toynbee. She reminds us that “Stop Oil” protesters have been jailed for criminal damage. Now we have MPs encouraging breaking the law to suit their political agenda.

According to Toynbee, Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative Leader, is “openly calling for protestors to commit criminal damage” by attacking ULEZ cameras!

This is the law and order tough guy, says Toynbee, who points out that Smith

helped push through new anti-protester laws which have resulted in two climate protesters being jailed for climbing onto a bridge and disrupting traffic!

Ah, Smith – such integrity. A man of the people.

ULEZ was created in response to serious health concerns over the worsening air quality which is estimated to have caused 4000 premature deaths in one year in London.

So as well as contributing to climate change, traffic pollution is also killing people. Not that the Conservative Party appear to be showing concern.

The introduction of low emission zones is an attempt to keep out the worst polluting vehicles by charging drivers £12.50 a day to enter the zones. Many people and businesses operating on a shoe-string plead they cannot afford to pay this and yet they cannot do without their vehicles.

So that’s an issue which needs to be resolved.

But if you can afford to pay you may still pollute! Doh.

What’s the point of that?  Its saying if you can pay you may continue to pollute. Bollocks.

One good idea is the suggestion that drivers are paid £2000 “scrappage” which would help towards buying a cleaner vehicle. 

It should be noted that France has banned vehicles which do not meet the new limits.

Britain’s way, however, is to turn this crisis into a game of politics while people meet premature deaths caused by polluted air and, in seven years’ time, by drowning as the sea floods their own homes.

Khan is Labour, so the Conservative government are opposing expansion of the zones in the hope of gaining brownie points over Labour to curry favour with voters they perceive are turning against green policies.

It’s all about the ballot box and the cynical “need” to secure the drivers vote in the next general election -  a few years before the seas start to roll in! 

The government knows there is public support calling for action to cut pollution to stave off the worst of climate change but they also fear a backlash from people who do not want to face up to the reality of what this might cost them – in the short term, that is; not using the car, for instance. And vote them out of office at the next general election.

The other traffic issue concerns the Prime Minister’s threat to take out low traffic neighbourhood schemes so he can say to drivers, look, I'm looking after you by finding more roads for you to use!

By doing so, this will allow through-traffic to once more use residential roads as rat runs.  Apart from benefitting residents these past 30 years since their introduction, LTNs have also contributed to making cycling safer.

Cycling UK, who urges us to write to the PM about this, said last week:

“Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are widely supported by communities, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is listening to a vocal minority and has announced a review that could put our quiet residential streets and safe cycle routes at risk.”

The government cannot be allowed to succeed in taking out LTNs, say Cycling UK.

The government has already stood idly by as local authorities removed pop-up cycle lanes installed during the pandemic. And this year they have cut £millions from their own Active Travel Policy intended to encourage cycling and walking because, in my view, they fear a real increase in cycling will antagonise, yes - you are spot on – will antagonise motorists and certainly the right wing press.

And finally…

Here’s the  thing - the connection between pollution and those heavy torrential downpours.

The science says that the billions of tiny particles resulting from burning carbon (from traffic, homes, factories etc.)  are circulating in the sky above where they attract condensation.  This in turn increases cloud water vapour by 40 per cent. Which is then dropped in those sudden downpours which can cause flash floods.