The contents of this Web site are copyright © 1999 by Daniel D. Kennedy
 

 

 

Links

NEW! Charles Ryan
Charles Ryan, a former reporter for the Daily Times Chronicle, broke the most important early stories in the Woburn toxic-waste tragedy: the discovery of contaminants in East Woburn's drinking water in May 1979, and the revelation that the city's leukemia rate was higher than should be expected for a community of its size. Now, for the first time, Ryan has gathered the most significant of his stories and put them on the Web. Lots of other links, too.

Woburn Leukemia Study
In 1996, the Massachusetts Bureau of Environmental Assessment -- part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health -- reported a strong correlation between Woburn's childhood leukemia cases and water from the city's two contaminated wells.

Gretchen Latowsky
The former executive director of Woburn FACE (For a Cleaner Environment), now with the JSI Center for Environmental Health Studies, has assembled her speeches and other material on Woburn's environmental problems.

A Civil Action
The official movie site. Loaded with information, including fascinating updates on the real people.

Beyond A Civil Action
"Woburn Issues & Answers." W.R. Grace & Company's site, devoted to refuting the book and the movie. Makes rather promiscuous use of my 1993 statement that Grace has become a "model corporate citizen.".

A Civil Action Update
"The Facts About Water Quality Today," presented by the Chemical Manufacturers Association and the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance. One "fact" these chemical-industry cheerleaders fail to discuss is the 1996 Woburn Leukemia Study.

Woburn Toxic Trial
The curriculum of a mock-trial course at Ohio State University.

Lessons from Woburn Project
Put together by Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society (headed by Charles Nesson, one of the families' lawyers in the Woburn case) and Films for Justice at the Seattle University School of Law.

Jan Schlichtmann
The lead lawyer for the families has his own Web page devoted to A Civil Action, complete with links.

Articles by Dan Kennedy

From 1979 to 1989 I worked as a staff reporter and editor for the Daily Times Chronicle, of Woburn, Massachusetts. During this time I covered the Woburn toxic-waste lawsuit, a landmark federal case brought by eight families who accused industries of contaminating their water, causing illness and death. I have also written about the case for the Boston Phoenix, where I have worked since 1991. Since 1994 I have been the Phoenix's media critic. Below are some of my more significant Woburn-related articles.

This page was last updated on April 1, 1999

Death and Justice

A lengthy monograph on the trial and why it ended so unsatisfactorily for the plaintiffs. Written in 1989, updated for the Web in 1996.

Stalking Woburn's Mystery Killer

An article I wrote for the Winter 1989-'90 issue of MetroNorth Magazine on a project by MIT scientists to link chemical exposure to genetic mutations.

Toxic Realities

The unpleasant truth about cleaning up hazardous waste. From the Boston Phoenix of 12/24/93.

Toxic Trial

Jonathan Harr talks about A Civil Action, his heartbreaking legal thriller about the case. From the Boston Phoenix of 08/18/95.

Take Two

Arrogance cost Jan Schlichtmann the victory he sought in the Woburn toxic-waste trial 11 years ago. But never mind. Now Hollywood's A Civil Action is turning him into a winner. From the Boston Phoenix of 01/02/98.

A Civil Action: The Real Story

Hollywood is set to release its version of how toxic dumping devastated Woburn. Dan Kennedy, who's covered the story for 15 years, looks beyond the hype. Boston Phoenix cover story of 12/18/98.

What Is a "Model Corporate Citizen"?

W.R. Grace has launched a public-relations offensive that makes heavy use of my 1993 reference to the company as "one of Woburn's model corporate citizens." See why I no longer think Grace is acting like a "model corporate citizen." Letter to the Boston Globe of 12/30/98.

Former Woburn Tanner Sues Author, Publishers

John J. Riley, the former owner of the Woburn tannery that was at issue in the toxic-waste case, has filed a libel suit against Jonathan Harr, author of A Civil Action, and against his publishers. From the Boston Phoenix of 01/08/99.

The New Yorker Ignores Leukemia in Woburn

The venerable magazine published an article in its 02/08/99 issue arguing that it is virtually impossible to trace cancer clusters to environmental contamination. Yet the article failed even to mention a landmark study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. From the Boston Phoenix of 02/12/99.

Woburn Postcard: Civil inaction

The film version of A Civil Action promotes a fictional image of an unresponsive government bureaucracy. That's not what happened in Woburn -- but the truth is dispiriting nevertheless. From The New Republic of 03/15/99.

 

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