Industrial Pollution and Environmental Policy

Industrial Pollution and Environmental Policy

ChapterChapter 14

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This chapter:

Discusses the nature of industrial pollutants and the practices and social philosophies that allowed them to darken the skies, poison waters, and despoil land.

Discusses how massive regulatory programs developed to control industrial pollution.

Explains the current operation of these programs, how they affect corporations, and how well they work.

The Indian Health Service Solves a Mystery Opening Case

Five cases of malignant mesothelioma, virtually always caused by exposure to asbestos, in a pueblo of 2,000 Indians puzzled health officials.

It was discovered that workers from a nearby plant discarded old asbestos where it was found by members of the tribe and brought back to the pueblo and put to many uses.

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The story of what happened to the Indians is analogous to what has happened to large populations in industrial societies. In both cases, it was only after substantial exposures had occurred and sickness began to appear that government agencies mobilized to protect public health.

Pollution Pollution refers to the release of substances

into the environment that inconvenience or endanger humans. Much of it comes from natural sources. Human activity adds more contaminants.

Industrial activity both harms human health and disturbs natural ecology.

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Human Health

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Health Risks Posed by Major Sources of Environmental Pollution

Percent of DALYs

Environmental Health Risk Less Developed Countries

Developed Countries

Water supply and sanitation 7% 1%

Indoor air pollution 4 0

Urban air pollution 2 1

Agricultural chemicals and industrial waste

1 2.5

All pollution-related causes 18 4.5

The Biosphere

Among the unintended effects of global economic growth within the biosphere are: Disruption of natural chemistry Land conversion Degradation of broad ecosystems

Full consequences of these disruptions within the biosphere are unknown.

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Industrial Activity, Pollution, and the Environment

Economic activity is the source of enduring pollution problems.

Much interest today is focused on the notion of sustainable development.

There is evidence that environmental quality in growing economies does not follow a path of long-term deterioration as in the old industrial revolution model. Environmental Kuznets curve

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Ideas Shape Attitudes Toward the Environment

DualismProgressCapitalismUtilitarianism

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New Ideas Challenge the Old

Naturalist Aldo Leopold – inspired others to rethink traditional ideas about the man-nature relationship

Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess – deep ecology Inspired anti-corporate government

groups Philosopher Peter Singer – speciesism

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Environmental Regulation in the United States

The dominant approach to industrial pollution control in the United States has been to pass laws that strictly regulate: Emissions Effluents Waste

In the 1970s, Congress passed a remarkable string of new laws, creating a broad statutory base for regulating industry.

The Environmental Protection Agency

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Principal Areas of Environmental Policy

Air The Clean Air Act National air quality – criteria pollutants

Carbon monoxide (CO) Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

Sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Ozone (O3) Particulates Lead (Pb)

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Principal Areas of Environmental Policy

Air (continued) Hazardous air pollutants (a/k/a air toxics)

examples: Arsenic Benzene Chromium Radionuclides Methyl chloride

The clean air act requires the EPA to set emission standards for 188 air toxics at levels that prevent disease and requires industry to use the maximum achievable control technology to comply.

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Principal Areas of Environmental Policy

Air (continued) Acid precipitation is caused

primarily by releases of two criteria pollutants: Sulfur dioxide Nitrogen oxides

Indoor air pollution Ozone-destroying chemicals

Chlorofluorocarbons Greenhouse gases

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Greenhouse gases

Atmospheric gases that absorb energy radiated from the earth, preventing it from being released into space.

Principal Areas of Environmental PolicyWater

Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, usually called the Clean Water Act

National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Runoff Agricultural Urban

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Principal Areas of Environmental PolicyLand

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Firms must label, handle, store, treat, and

discard hazardous waste under strict guidelines, keeping meticulous records.

Difficult to administer Difficult to comply

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RCRA Landfill Groundwater Monitoring Requirements

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Principal Areas of Environmental Policy

Land (continued) Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 Better known as Superfund so-named after

the large trust fund it set up to pay for cleanups

Created to clean up abandoned toxic waste sites

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Typical Rotary Kiln Incinerator at a Superfund Site

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Assessing the Nation’s Environmental Laws

Inconsistent philosophy Rigidity Bureaucratic sluggishness Complexity Adversarial approach Transmedia pollution

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Concluding Observations Industrial processes damage the environment

and cause serious local and global deterioration. A first wave of environmental statutes in the

United States has reduced pollution and deterioration, primarily through rigid and expensive regulations.

Now that experience has been gained with these laws, their high costs, inflexibility, and adversarial nature are seen as shortcomings.

There are many suggestions for more cost-effective and flexible regulation.

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