Supplementary Information Sundry Income (Expense) - Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Successor [Member]
Schedule of Sundry Income (Expense) - Net [Line Items]
Royalty income		$ 40
Interest income		28
Equity in earnings of affiliates - net		14
Net gain on sales of businesses and other assets		2
Net exchange losses		(132)
Non-operating pension and other post employment benefit credit (cost)	[1]	92
Miscellaneous income and expenses, net	[2]	43
Sundry income - net		$ 47
Predecessor [Member]
Schedule of Sundry Income (Expense) - Net [Line Items]
Royalty income			$ 45
Interest income			25
Equity in earnings of affiliates - net			18
Net gain on sales of businesses and other assets	[3]		192
Net exchange losses			(59)
Non-operating pension and other post employment benefit credit (cost)	[1]		(104)
Miscellaneous income and expenses, net	[2]		85
Sundry income - net			202
Food Safety Diagnostic Business [Member] | Predecessor [Member]
Schedule of Sundry Income (Expense) - Net [Line Items]
Pre-tax gain on disposal			162
Gain on disposal, net of tax			$ 86

[1] Includes non-service related components of net periodic benefit credits (costs) (interest cost, expected return on plan assets, amortization of unrecognized loss, and amortization of prior service benefit). See Note 2 for discussion of the retrospective adoption of ASU No. 2017-07.

[2] Miscellaneous income and expenses - net, includes interest items (Predecessor period only), gains related to litigation settlements, and other items.

[3] Includes a pre-tax gain of $162 million ($86 million net of tax) for the three months ended March 31, 2017 related to the sale of global food safety diagnostics. See Note 4 for additional information.