Why does Fagin include the history of the Ciba-Geigy corporation in the nonfiction book, Toms River?

One of the reasons that Fagin showed the history of the Ciba-Geigy corporation is to show where they had learned from their mistakes and how they learned to play the public better. They did not stop polluting - they just got better at controlling information. Starting in Basel, Switzerland, and leading to Ohio and a few other American spots, the company left a trail of pollution in its wake. They learned how to befriend the local power structure, and they got better at keeping information from getting out that could be damaging to them. What information they did get out, with some exception, was filtered better than the waste leaving the factory.