Velsicol in St Louis

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The Velsicol plant in operation, producing DDT and other chemicals.

The Superfund sites of the Pine River Watershed resulted from the massive dumping of byproducts from DDT production and a fire retardant based on polybrominanted biphenyls (PBBs) by the Velsicol Chemical Company. Here is the story of Velsicol, from their early days as Michigan Chemical Co., to their departure as a result of the PBB catastrophe.

Early History

On September 15, 1935, ground was broken for construction of a chemical plant on the banks of the Pine River near the corner of North and Bankson streets. The newly organized Michigan Chemical Corporation had acquired a 14-acre site formerly occupied by Henry Holcomb’s sawmill, salt block, and bromine plant.

Through the late 30s a host of new products were produced by the company. A subsidiary, Michigan Salt Company, was organized in 1937 to manufacture and market one of the corporation’s most profitable products – salt for a variety of uses. Crystal Flow table salt was used in many dining rooms and kitchens. By January 1940, the company began full-time chemical research.

World War II and DDT

During World War II, Michigan Chemical Corporation began researching an effective new insecticide – DDT. Serious research began in April 1944. A DDT plant was constructed during the summer and the product was shipped to the Army and Navy in tonnages in August. DDT contributed to the safety and comfort of the armed forces serving in insect-ridden areas of battle. It was also the most effective way to reduce exposure to malaria by eradicating mosquitoes, the most common carrier of the disease.

During the 1950’s and 1960’s Michigan Chemical Corporation grew into a complex of buildings and storage tanks that sprawled across the west side of the St. Louis peninsula. The company expanded out to Washington Street (M-46) and continued to pump millions of dollars into the area’s economy. It employed several hundred of the local population at its plant, making it a valuable part of the local economy.

By the 1960’s one of the company’s main products – DDT – was under scrutiny. It had served as a major insecticide for homeowners and agriculturalists for many years. Not only was its effectiveness now being questioned – as insects became more resistant to it – but it was evidently toxic to other creatures as well. Tests done by George J. Wallace at Michigan State University were some of the first to show the harmful effects of DDT on robins and other birds.

Pollution collecting on a Pine River runoff

Velsicol takeover & PBB Crisis

Michigan Chemical Corporation was taken over by the Velsicol Chemical Company in the 1960s and the production of DDT was halted by 1964. DDT was outlawed for domestic use in 1973. The company was out of the DDT-making business and concerns about the chemical’s hazards seemed to be left in the past.

By 1970, one of Velsicol Chemical Company’s significant products was a fire retardant labeled "Firemaster". It contained a chemical compound called PBB – not to be consumed by man or beast. The company also produced Nutrimaster, a supplemental cattle feed. In 1973, a tragic mix-up occurred in the company’s shipping department that resulted in widespread concern for the health of Michigan citizens.

In May 1973, Velsicol Chemical Company ran out of the Firemaster bags. As a substitute they used Nutrisweet bags which were re-stenciled with the Firemaster label. They filled the new bags with PBB-laden Firemaster and these were warehoused. In filling regular orders from the Farm Bureau Services in Battle Creek, Velsicol workers shipped the re-stenciled Nutrimaster bags filled with the Firemaster product. At the Farm Bureau in Battle Creek no one noticed the change and emptied bags of toxic chemicals into the cattle feed which was then mixed and shipped to various parts of the state.

In the spring of 1974, hundreds of contaminated cattle were slaughtered and buried in large pits after birth defects and other signs of the toxic PBB manifested. Meat from contaminated cattle and poultry had been sold throughout the state and authorities acknowledged that nearly every person in the Lower Peninsula had ingested PBB. The long-term effects of the chemical compound on humans were not known. An estimated $200 million in lawsuits were instituted against Velsicol and Farm Bureau Services.

The DNR stepped in to investigate the effects of Velsicol's operations on the Pine River. Their investigation of the Pine River revealed a profoundly contaminated waterway. The DNR’s reaction signaled that the days of Velsicol in St. Louis were numbered. In a series of legal maneuvers that produced many hard feelings, the DNR made it virtually impossible for the chemical company to continue to function in St. Louis.

Cross-section of the Velsicol site and possible run-offs that could be occurring.

Of the 700+ Velsicol workers, more than 300 lost their jobs when the plant closed in 1978. Some employees were able to transfer to other Velsicol plants. Some found other jobs. Some retired. In any case, bitterness remained over the perceived heavy-handedness of the DNR.

If this blow to the local economy were not enough, the DNR did not go home. It continued to monitor the river and the resulting discoveries were alarming. The chemical company’s buildings and property, as well as the river, were thoroughly contaminated by years of chemical production.

According to the Pine River CAG, some studies of exposure to the Velsicol contaminants show correlation with certain cancers and developmental and nervous system problems in those with high body burdens.

Some of this information is taken from St. Louis at 150 - The Story of the Middle of the Mitten, written by St. Louis historian, David McMacken.

Pine River Superfund Site