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New Eco-Documentary Film Highlights Chemical Risks

Mariel Hemingway

The new award-winning documentary, Unacceptable Levels, will premiere in Chicago at 7 p.m., July 24, at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). The evening includes a post-film Q&A with filmmaker Ed Brown, actress and wellness advocate Mariel Hemingway and other notable experts.

This innovative documentary reveals the chemical risks Americans face on a daily basis and illustrates how some 80,000 chemicals flow through our system of commerce, with many going straight into our bodies. “I made this film,” states Ed Brown, “because I couldn’t ignore the effects of chemicals on my family. I had to find out more.”

Over a three-year period, the filmmaker spoke with more than 40 luminaries in environmental advocacy, science and law. The interplay of expert commentators with Brown’s compelling

Ed Brown
Ed Brown
personal narrative is key to the film’s success.

The release of Unacceptable Levels comes at a time of growing awareness about the effects of chemicals on human and environmental health. Consumers are increasingly demanding safer products, and state and local legislative efforts are gaining traction, securing regulations on items from baby bottles to thermal receipts. On the federal level, the Safe Chemicals Act was reintroduced to the Senate in 2013 to patch gaping regulatory holes in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the 1976 law regulating the manufacture and sale of chemicals. Unacceptable Levels demonstrates the limitations of TSCA and profiles the effects of the outdated policy on daily life.


Tickets are $12. Limited VIP tickets are $75. Discounted parking available. For more information, tickets and to view trailer visit UnacceptableLevels.com.