The management of toxic waste
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The management of toxic waste is a serious issue which affects everyone. This is because mistakes in the handling and disposal of toxic waste can lead to environmental problems which threaten human life. The potential threat of hazardous waste came to national attention in 1976, with an incident occurring at Love Canal, New York. Love Canal, a small community near Niagara Falls, suddenly became an emergency zone when hundreds of houses and an elementary school were exposed to the leakage of deadly chemicals in the area (Kunreuther and Patrick, 1991, p. 15). The cancer-causing chemicals had been disposed of by a nearby industrial concern known as the Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation. In the early 1950's, the chemical company sold the land that it had been using as a dumping site. Later, the community of Love Canal was built on the location. In 1976, heavy rains released many of the toxic chemicals into the ground and the residents of the area began to experience serious health problems. Of the 900 families living in Love Canal, 814 had to be evacuated from their homes as a result of the toxic danger (Acton, 1990, p. 87). Many other cases involving leakages of hazardous waste have been reported in the news media. In addition, the threat that existed at Love Canal in the late 1970's continues to exist for many American communities today. Large amounts of toxic waste continue to be disposed of by industrial companies each year. The Environmental Protection Agen
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its own share of toxic waste (p. 4). Thus, it can be seen that toxic waste disposal is a serious global problem which is a matter of concern to everyone, regardless of their social position, occupation, or location in the world.
In debates over the toxic waste issue, two predominant points of view emerge. Essentially, these views are based on the contrast which exists between private and public interests. The private interest, which is represented by the companies handling hazardous materials, is focused on the fact that something needs to be done with the waste. In seeking a way for disposing of this waste, these companies also express a strong interest in terms of not spending too much money. The public, on the other hand, is generally concerned with saving the environment and with protecting human health. The public interest holds that no amount of money is too large if it saves lives and restores the environment. The concerns of the American public were made clear in a 1990 Roper poll in which the respondents ranked active hazardous waste sites as the number one environmental problem and abandoned hazardous waste sites as the second largest environmental problem (Kunreuther and Patrick, 1991, p. 13).
Despite this pub
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Approximate Word count = 1774
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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