Industrial pollution is a key contributor to a wide range of environmental issues that we face today. Both the structure and scale of today’s industrial production present serious ethical problems from an environmental perspective. The global scale of industrial production coupled with the large amounts of hazardous materials generated imposes substantial risks on the society and natural environment. Industrial companies are considered the prime cause of environmental degradation. This is because these firms exploit natural resources on a large scale and release highly toxic substances and wastes. Industrial pollution is, therefore, a critical ethical issue that needs to be given the attention that it deserves. This paper will delve deeper into this issue and come up with a resolution plan to manage the problem.
Data
Air Pollution
Industries contribute to air pollution through emission of noxious gases such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other particulate matter. An average coal fixed power plant, with an output of 700MW, produces up to 2.5 million m3 of flue gases every hour. This is equal to 2.5 tons of sulfur every hour. The health effects resulting from these gases range from mild irritants to poisons. Air pollution has been linked to many conditions including infections, respiratory diseases, rickets, and conjunctivitis. Epidemiological studies have revealed that exposure to sulfur dioxide over an extended period of time results in respiratory diseases, sinus infections, and emphysema (Brunekreef and Holgate 1241). Moreover, the damage to forests that we see today cannot be attributed to natural forces alone. Airborne pollution in the form of dry or wet/acid deposition is also responsible for the damage to forests. Air pollution also causes damage to physical structures such as buildings and sculptures through acid rain.
Water Pollution
In the United States alone, more than 370,000 manufacturing plants use significant amounts of freshwater to dispose of their waste products (Vorosmarty et al. 284). The waste-bearing water, or effluent, is released into streams, oceans, and lakes which then disperse the toxic substances. The pollutants involved include mercury, asbestos, grit, sulfur, caustic soda, and petrochemicals (Vorosmarty et al. 285). In other instances, industries release hot water into water bodies causing thermal pollution. This increase in temperature results in a reduction in the amount of oxygen dissolved in the body of water. This disrupts the water’s ecological balance which results in the death of some animal and plant species while precipitating the overgrowth of others. Industrial chemicals released into water bodies also results in the proliferation of certain water plants such as hyacinth and algae. This proliferation results in the large-scale death of aquatic animals through suffocation. As a result, communities which rely on fish for food and fresh water from the bodies become affected.
Use of Toxic Ingredients
The American food industry is laden with unhealthy food additives, coloring dyes, artificial flavoring, hormones, preservatives, toxins, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Various food companies have been implicated in the production of food using harmful ingredients. For instance, ConAgra Foods was busted in 2003 with reports showing that it had been poisoning Americans with E coli tainted beef for two years. This revelation is more astonishing since ConAgra Foods usually claims that its products are “made with all natural ingredients”. General Mills is another company that uses harmful ingredients in its products. This company uses trisodium phosphate (TSP), a flavor enhancer and additive, in its food products. TSP was declared by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as harmful to humans. Despite this warning, General Mills still uses TSP in its food products. General Mills also uses butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and additive that has been shown to be toxic using animal tests. Besides, the artificial coloring agent used by Kraft Foods has been linked to asthma, hyperactivity, and skin conditions. These companies form a tiny portion of food companies in the US that use harmful ingredients in their food products.
Use of Cheap Materials
Plastics are widely used by production companies to package their products. Plastics are chemically inert which makes them unreactive to most of the chemical additives found in industrial products. In addition, plastics are cheap and readily available which makes them very attractive. However, the use of cheap plastics in packaging also comes with significant human and environmental health effects. These effects include direct toxicity causes by materials such as mercury, cadmium, and lead. Moreover, other plastics such as diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) are carcinogens which means that they increase the likelihood of one developing cancer. Plastics also cause endocrine disruption which precipitates conditions such as immune system suppression, birth defects, cancers, and developmental problems in children. Toxins contained in plastic containers also tend to migrate into the food they contain which makes the consumption of these products more dangerous. The most common plastics that contaminate food include plasticizers from PVC, styrene from polystyrene, acetaldehyde from PET, and antioxidants from polyethylene.
Resolution Plan
Industrial pollution poses various ethical concerns arising from water and air pollution, use of harmful ingredients, and use of plastics. As mentioned above, industrial pollution results in a host of effects that negatively influence the livelihood of humans. To curb these effects, a resolution plan needs to be developed that tackles each of these effects independently. The reduction of air pollution will require the development of technologies such as end-of-pipe solutions capable of reducing pollution at the emission site. Getting these technologies up and running will require government and corporate intervention in terms of policy development. These policies will guide technological development and decision making. After managing air pollution, the next step is to manage water pollution. The most feasible way to regulate water pollution is to control the disposal of chemical wastes from industries. Companies should come up with means of getting rid of their toxic wastes, such as incineration, without having to dispose them into water bodies.
Regarding the use of harmful ingredients by food companies, the Foods and Drugs Administration (FDA) should become more vigilant in assessing the products of all food companies. All food products should meet FDA regulations of safety without exemption. In addition, the FDA should invest more in research and development to find out new chemicals that may be harmful to humans. Once a food additive has been found to be toxic, the FDA must be strict in ensuring that all food companies desist from using it. Finally, companies should opt for recyclable, green, and renewable packaging instead of using cheap plastics (Vorosmarty et al. 288). This will eliminate the harmful effects that plastics pose to humans. To ensure the success of this resolution plan, all stakeholders involved should view this issue from an ethical perspective. Should human lives be put in danger for the sake of industrial development? Human life is so huge a price to pay for industrial development. As such, we need to mitigate industrial pollution before it is too late.
Works Cited
Anderson, Jake. "10 Worst Food Companies that are Poisoning You Daily and Lying About It." 2015. Web.
Brunekreef, B and S.T Holgate. "Air Pollution and Health." Lancet (2012): 360:1233–42. Print.
Erkman, S. "Industrial ecology: a historical view." J Cleaner Production (2005): 5(1-2): 1-10. Print.
Vorosmarty, C.J, et al. "Global Water Resources: Vulnerability from Climate Change and Population Growth." Science (2010): 289:283–88. Print.
