Paul Oreffice, a Combative Chief of Dow Chemical, Dies at 97

Paul F.Oreffice, who as the pugnacious head of Dow Chemical grew and diversified the company at the same time that he rebuffed Vietnam veterans over Agent Orange, argued that the chemical dioxin was harmless and oversaw the manufacturing of silicone breast implants that were known to leak, died on Dec.

26 at his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz.He was 97.His family confirmed his death.Mr.

Oreffice (pronounced like orifice) spoke in staccato, fast-paced sentences, and they were often deployed in pushing back against environmentalists, politicians and journalists during an era, the 1970s and ’80s, when the environmental movement was gaining force by focusing on toxic chemicals in the air and water.Under his 17-year leadership, which included the titles of president, chief executive and chairman, Mr.Oreffice weathered intense controversies.His public relations instinct was for confrontation, not conciliation.

He had an intense dislike for what he perceived as government meddling in business, which he traced to his having grown up in Italy under Mussolini.“I’ve seen what overgoverning can do,” he told The New York Times in 1987.

“I was born under a Fascist dictatorship, and my father was jailed by it.”Mr.Oreffice took the reins of the Dow USA division in 1975, when its public image was tainted from campus protests of the 1960s that had vilified the company as a maker of the incendiary agent napalm, which was widely used in Vietnam.When Dow pulled out of apartheid South Africa in 1987 under pressure from shareholders, Mr.

Oreffice said: “I’m not proud of it.I think we should have stayed and fought.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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