A History of Deadly Chemical Weed Control
A gripping novel that uncovers the hidden history of deadly herbicides used across Minnesota and the generations still living with their consequences
Photo Credits: Minnesota Department of Transportation: Library Collections
About the Book
This will be a novel exploring health issues and herbicides used along roadways and highways in Minnesota between 1955-1980. In this story the protagonist is a young nursing student whose family works and lives along highways, in both urban and rural Minnesota. Haunted by her family history of unexplained disease, early death and her own infertility and birth defect, she turns to her mother a VA nurse who refuses to talk about the past. Deperate the nursing student begins to draw connections between deadly chemical weed control used in highway construciton and maintanance, and secrets that could tear her family and community apart. She now has to decide if its worth the risk to expose her research and face losing her credibility and community, in order to tell the truth and address the use of deadly chemicals in her state.
Research
Grounded in decades of observation and years of research, Florangia has spent more than twenty years working in healthcare, during which they began to noticing patterns linking cancer and other diseases, to chemicals found in groundwater, air, and soil. Over the past seven years, Florangia conducted research into a form of Agent Orange that was used throughout Minnesota in infrastructure including highways, powerlines, railroads, and forestry operations. As part of this work, Florangia traveled extensively across the state, examining specific cases of exposure and investigating the long-term impacts on both rural and urban communities. Through interviews, field research, and the collection of oral histories, Florangia has documented stories and experiences that were often silenced or left untold. Through this work hidden truths have been uncovered about how chemical exposures have impacted the health of individuals and communities across Minnesota.
Agenti Florangia 