A History of Deadly Chemical Weed Control
A gripping novel that uncovers Minnesota’s hidden, poisonous past, uncovering the chemical legacy of our generational inheritance of diseases.
Photo Credits: Minnesota Department of Transportation: Library Collections
About the Book
This will be a novel of one family’s experience exploring health issues and herbicides used along roadways and highways in Minnesota between 1955-1980. In this story the protagonists’ family works and lives along highways, in both urban and rural Minnesota. Haunted by a family history of unexplained disease, early death, infertility and more they ask the mother a VA nurse who won’t talk, about what might have happened to harm them. But the mother refuses to discuss the past. What follows are thidden truths and lies begin to surface and it seems it’s possible there’s connections between deadly chemical weed control used in highway construction and maintenance, and secrets that could tear their family and community apart. One question remains: how to decide if it’s worth the risk to reveal research, endure threats and possibly face losing credibility, family and community for what? A truth no one wants to hear/face?
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 notice patterns linking cancer and other diseases to chemicals found in groundwater, air, and soil. Over the past seven years, Florangia conducted research on a form of Agent Orange used throughout Minnesota in infrastructure, including highways, power lines, 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 oral history collection, 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 