Sludge Watch ==> Documentary Film - Toxic Tresspass - effects of the chemical soup around us

[Maureen Reilly]

http://www.planetinfocus.org/festival/toxic-tresspass


Toxic Trespass

National Film Board of Canada
Description

In Toxic Trespass, intrepid filmmaker Barri Cohen launches an investigation 
into the effects of the chemical soup around us. She starts with her 
10-year-old daughter, whose blood carries carcinogens like benzene and the 
long-banned DDT. Then, Cohen heads out to Windsor and Sarnia: Canadian toxic 
hotspots, with startling clusters of deadly diseases.

Here, everyone seems to know children who have suffered respiratory 
illnesses, leukemia, brain tumours and other illnesses. And on the Native 
reserve of Aamjiwnaang, ringed by Sarnia's "chemical valley," the film 
reveals a startling birth rate problem that officials just can't ignore.

Cohen journeys into toxic nightmares all too common in industrialized 
countries. She meets passionate activists working for positive change, along 
with doctors and scientists who see evidence of links between environmental 
pollution and health problems. And she learns how quickly barriers can go up 
when anyone tries to even ask questions about the connection betweeen toxins 
and serious health problems.

Perhaps most appalling - and funny, in their own twisted way - are the 
roadblocks Cohen encounters when she tries to get information from federal 
officials. One tells her his department is "planning to discuss the plans."

This moving documentary is empowering and leavened with wry humour. Carried 
by Cohen's passion for truth and her disarming openness, it is essential 
viewing for anyone concerned about the effects of pollutants on our - and 
our children's - very DNA. Toxic Trespass is accompanied by a comprehensive 
guidebook for educators, activists and concerned citizens, produced by the 
Women's Healthy Environment Network.

2007, 80 min

Directed by
Barri Cohen