"Toxic Hot Seat" Film Premieres in Maine in March

The Environmental Health Strategy Center is hosting the Maine premiere of the film, Toxic Hot Seat in Portland and Rockland at the end of the month. The Toxic Hot Seat website gives this description of the film:

TOXIC HOT SEAT follows a courageous group of firefighters and mothers, journalists and scientists, politicians and activists as they fight to expose the shadowy campaign of deception that left a toxic legacy in our homes and bodies — a campaign so cunning, it's taken nearly 40 years to unravel.

One of the lawmakers included in the film is Maine's former Speaker of the House, Hannah Pingree. That Environmental Health Strategy Center has this to say about the upcoming screenings in Maine:

Each screening will be followed by Q&A with filmmaker Kirby Walker, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Hannah Pingree, Executive Director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center Mike Belliveau, flame retardant free furniture designer and owner of Endicott Home Furnishings Ross Endicott and other experts.
Admission is free, but seating is limited. See below to RSVP today for Portland or Rockland:

Saturday, March 29th at 7:30 PM
Space Gallery
538 Congress Street, Portland
Click here to RSVP

Sunday, March 30th at 2:00 PM
The Strand Theater
345 Main Street, Rockland
Click here to RSVP

Watch the [autoplay] trailer here on HBO website.

Following Ability Maine Expose, UCP of ME Closes Facility

Isn't it amazing what air and sunshine can do? Especially when a light is shined on shady dealings and the truth is aired about vulnerable people being exposed to toxic chemicals?

On March 8, 2012, Mike Reynolds published Of Landfills and Cerebral Palsy on Ability Maine's website. The expose revealed that United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Maine was running a residential facility, Fort James House, next to a landfill. This arrangement exposed residents to high levels of toxic chemicals. The article also revealed that some members on the UPC board of directors had conflicts of interest with regard to the landfill.

Now, Mike's follow-up article, UCP of Maine Closes Dangerous Facility reveals some surprising results. Without even a whisper to the press, both UCP members of the board about whom Mike wrote in his previous post have stepped down, and Fort James House has closed! Although UCP of Maine has not publicly commented on the reasons for these changes in leadership or facilities, it seems unlikely it's coincidence that this came about less than within two months of the Ability Maine expose. Way to go, Mike!

Have comments about either story? We'd love to hear what you have to say!