Episode 7: Silver and Snapshots
The Genesee River has experienced pollution since its first settlers arrived, but how has pollution changed over time? Through the lens of Eastman Kodak and the Genesee River, this episode will follow how chemical pollution can become a permanent member of the river’s chemistry, and how we can remediate that damage.




Elizabeth Martin
Producer
Emma Dickerson
Sound Engineer
Alayna Leestma
Lead Researcher
Works Cited:
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“Aug 17, 1988, Page 13 - Democrat and Chronicle at Newspapers.Com.” Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s - Newspapers.com. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.newspapers.com/image/137315336/?terms=%22kodak%2C+epa%22.
Baker, Frank Collins. “The Molluscan Fauna of the Genesee River.” The American Naturalist 35, no. 416 (August 1901): 659–64. https://doi.org/10.1086/277982.
“Eastman Business Park (Kodak).” Department of Environmental Conservation. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/notable-projects-documentation/eastman-business-park.
Egan, Dan. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.
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Feser, Alison. "Reproducing Photochemical Life in the Imaging Capital of the World." Order No. 27958374, The University of Chicago, 2020. https://ezp.lib.rochester.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/reproducing-photochemical-life-imaging-capital/docview/2427529922/se-2.
Foderaro, Lisa W. “Pollution by Kodak Brings Sense of Betrayal.” The New York Times, March 8, 1989. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/08/nyregion/pollution-by-kodak-brings-sense-of-betrayal.html.
“Ground Water Contamination.” epa.gov, March 1, 2024. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-08/documents/mgwc-gwc1.pdf.
Hanley, Robert. “Eastman Kodak Admits Violations of Anti-Pollution Laws.” The New York Times, April 6, 1990. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/06/nyregion/eastman-kodak-admits-violations-of-anti-pollution-laws.html#:~:text=The%20Eastman%20Kodak%20Company%2C%20Rochester%27s,and%20was%20fined%20%241.15%20million.
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[Kodak’s Program to Upgrade Quality of Environment, April 15, 1970] Pollution, 1956-1970s, Box: 44, Folder: 22. Kodak Historical Collection #003, D.319. Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation.
M, Gerard. “Kodak Neighbors Offended by Odor.” Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s - Newspapers.com. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.newspapers.com/image/136351390/?terms=%22kodak+king%27s+landing%22&match=1.
Orr, Steve. “Genesee River Cleanup Proposed to Remove Kodak’s Toxic Silver Legacy.” Democrat and Chronicle, October 4, 2019. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/10/04/genesee-river-cleanup-kodaks-silver-pollution-rochester-ny/3856185002/#.
[Protecting the Environment, Date Unknown] Pollution, 1956-1970s, Box: 44, Folder: 22. Kodak Historical Collection #003, D.319. Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation.
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