| Industry | Chemical industry |
|---|---|
| Successor | Eastman Chemical Company |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Rosemont, Illinois, United States |
Genovique Specialties Corporation (former name: Velsicol Chemical Corporation) was a Rosemont, Illinois based chemical company founded in 1931 that specializes in plasticizers.
At the time the landmark anti-pesticide book Silent Spring was published (1962), Velsicol was the sole manufacturer of chlordane and heptachlor, two since-banned pesticides that feature prominently in the book. Velsicol threatened legal action against Silent Spring's publisher, though ultimately no such action was taken.[1]
For years, Velsicol produced polybrominated biphenyls, DDT, cattle feed additives, and various other chemicals at its plant in St. Louis, Michigan. In 1973, a packaging error at the plant resulted in several thousand pounds of PBBs contaminating cattle feed which was later fed to animals across Michigan. When the error was finally recognized, all the cattle in the state were culled. The site of the St. Louis plant is now one of the costliest superfund sites in the U.S.
In 2008, after acquisition by the private equity firm Arsenal Capital, Velsicol was re-branded Genovique Specialties Corporation. In 2010, the company was acquired by Eastman Chemical Company.