1.Toxic Waste in Chester, Pennsylvania

http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/polk.html

An investment company has continued to build multiple toxic and hazardous waste treatment facilities in Chester, PA. Since the waste treatment facilities were established, there has been a drastic inclination in negative health effects. Chester’s residents quality of life is being degraded, resulting in many disorders, such as, asthma, cancer, sore throats and skin disorders. The population in Chester is made up of 65% black ethnicity and the city is said to have the lowest family income in the entire state of Pennsylvania. Although only 8% of the county’s population lives in Chester, the city is handling 67% of the county’s total waste. Some are calling this “Environmental Racism,” pushing for these polluting facilities to be shut down. It took years for goals of development to be put into effect but many Grass Root Level organizations are empowering residents to make a change. Public hearings are being held and statewide conferences are spreading awareness, forming strategies to better these poor environmental conditions. The internet is also playing a vital rule, recruiting others to spread awareness hoping to ultimately get environmental justice. This case study was very similar to the pollution occurring in Camden, NJ. The environmental degradation is causing serious health effects to their residents and with the globalized nature of our economy, pollutants are becoming concentrated in certain regions of the world.

2.Poisoning Bhopal

Bhopal, India

http://www.mhhe.com/Enviro-Sci/CaseStudyLibrary/International/CaseStudy_Poisoning_Bhopal.pdf

Bhopal, India is an industrial city located in Central India. Unexpectedly, the residents of Bhopal were awakened one night to a cloud of toxic gas. As the residents were trying to escape their homes, unfortunately, many did not even make it past their door step. This gas cloud resulted in more than 15,000 deaths and 800,000 suffered medical problems. The noxious gas came from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal which makes the pesticide Temik. A component of Temik, methyl isocyanate, was stored in large tanks at the plant. Water mysteriously got into the tank, creating the deadly chemical reaction that swept the city. This incident is claimed to be the greatest industrial disaster in history and pushed families without medical care, into even deeper poverty. 20 years after the incident, no one was ever punished for this horrific catastrophe. Although nothing was really done to improve development, this disaster served as an alert to the world of the various negative effects of air pollution and the risks associated with storage, and manufacturing highly toxic industrial chemicals. This case study also related to the industrialization in Camden, New Jersey. The children are developing asthma from the “black dust” pouring out of these industries. The cancer rate is also skyrocketing because of these noxious agents. Although nothing to this scale has yet to happen in New Jersey, it serves a warning to potential dangers, if this industrialization persists.
3. A few years back, I lived with my boyfriend in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Chester is located right next to Havertown, and every time we would drive through Chester, I remember a sense of fear and sadness that consumed my body. The trash that covered the town was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before. The streams were polluted, I saw many residents in wheelchairs, and children were playing in parks full of garbage and plastic. Adversely, Havertown is a clean, beautiful town located about 15 minutes from Chester. Most of the neighborhood is Caucasian, and they do not have a toxic waste facility in their town. The environmental conditions were completely opposite when comparing the two towns. When the Bhopal incident occurred, some of the bordering cities were also harmed from the toxic gas cloud. That was a big reality check because if something similar to Bhopal occurred in Chester, Havertown could be negatively affected along with all the family and friends we have there. Before reading this article, I had no idea why Chester was in such a poor condition, and it was the first time I heard about the incident in Bhopal. I believe it is very important for all residents, and surrounding residents, to be aware of the potential risks of harboring these toxic waste/pesticide facilities and the development downsides. It is also evident that geography plays a big rule in measuring pollution. Lower income cities are predominately at a greater risk of environmental bads than higher income cities. Also the greater the concentration of population, the more likely these industries will located closer to them, geographically.