About Matthew Powell

I am a History PhD student at the University of Georgia. My research looks at the intersection of labor and environmental history, analyzing how workers interact with and conceptualize their natural environment. My geographical focus is largely on Appalachia and the eastern US. I'm interested in looking at works from both environmentalists and historians, and anyone in between.

NBN Episodes hosted by Matthew:

Gregory S. Wilson, "Poison Powder: The Kepone Disaster in Virginia and Its Legacy" (U Georgia Press, 2023)

December 7, 2025

Poison Powder

Gregory S. Wilson
Hosted by Matthew Powell

In 1975 workers at Life Science Products, a small makeshift pesticide factory in Hopewell, Virginia, became ill after exposure to Kepone, the brand na…