Environmental Impact of the Chemical Industry

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Overview of the Issue
Concerns about Physical Environment
Corporate Crimes
Impact on Human Environment
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Much of the technological and economic advancements can be attributed to the development of the chemical industry. For instance, the food industry today relies on the products offered by chemical companies. Space exploration would not have been possible without discoveries made by chemists. Despite many contributions made by the industry, some people believe that the chemical industry is causing irreversible damage to the environment. For instance, Richard Carson, in his book Silent Spring, argues that synthetic pesticides marketed and sold by chemical companies around the world have a negative impact on the environment, and these implications are not addressed by those companies. This paper discusses a slightly wider range of issues potentially caused by the industry. The landscape of unfavorable impact is much more complex and includes implications for human health and future well-being.

Overview of the Issue

Companies that produce chemicals for manufacturing use comprise the industry. It is essential to differentiate between companies producing the chemicals from enterprises that use them to provide other commodities. While the production of chemicals has existed since ancient ages, massive production corresponds to the times of the Industrial Revolution (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Today, the industry is a significant part of the economy that contributes more than a trillion dollars to the world GDP and employs millions of people (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Currently, it is the fifth-largest contributor to the global economy in terms of generated value and the number of employees (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Polymers and plastics are the primary end products of the industry (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). It is imminently evident that there are severe environmental concerns associated with the use of plastic commodities. Another category of extremely popular products is fertilizers and chemicals used in agriculture. In Silent Spring, Carson (1962) draws several arguments claiming that companies provide misleading information about pesticides. Notably, the author believes that dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane negatively impacts the population of birds.

Individuals are rarely the direct consumers of the products offered by the chemical industry. Several exceptions exist people use soaps, cleansers, and other specialty chemicals, including cosmetics. However, consumers eventually buy the products which were manufactured with the help of chemicals almost all food products today make use of additives that enhance the color and flavor (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Therefore, the potential landscape of impact is much larger than discussed by Carson. Besides environmental issues, chemicals may have an unfavorable effect on human health. Not only consuming the chemicals may deteriorate human well-being. Working with chemicals is often dangerous and requires special clothing and strict management of occupational risks.

Concerns about Physical Environment

Safety of products and whether or not companies provide truthful information about the safety of those commodities is a controversial topic. Environmental impact largely depends on the type of chemical sold and usage recommendations given by the manufacturer. In the case of pesticides, Carson (1962) urges that manufacturers had provided continuously misleading information. Those pesticides had a negative impact on the bird of prey population in the United States (Carson, 1962). While this problem is specific, other chemical products result in a chain of unfavorable events. For instance, heavy usage of plastic contributes to a plethora of environmental issues. Plastic does not decompose, which creates an enormous amount of waste that will not disappear for thousands of years. The volume of garbage is not the only challenge plastic, which ends up in oceans, deteriorates the ecosystem, affecting fishes and other members of the water habitat.

The utilization of plastic is also not straightforward because of several factors. It might be tempting to believe that reusing plastic waste to create other products is a feasible idea. However, such re-application may not be infinite due to the limited area of the planet. Burning is also not a solution plastic emits toxic substances when burning. Silent Spring led to the creation of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), but because the work was specific, the broader landscape of negative impact was omitted. EPA has failed to address the issue of plastic waste, and almost all corporations around the world are continuing to rely on plastic for the packaging and delivery of their products. Polymers and plastic are only one example of how the chemical industry is affecting the physical and animal environment.

Corporate Crimes

Commodities with adverse environmental impacts are only half of the concern. Accountability of companies in the chemical industry, their risk mitigation strategies, and compliance with government regulations comprise a different set of issues. Two types of environmental challenges may arise from these issues. First, the lack of strict supervision and safety management may result in chemicals leaking from production facilities (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Another problem, which is far more concerning, is when the executives neglect the notion of environmental safety and intentionally breach ecological safety laws to yield financial profit.

One of the notable incidents in the history of the chemical industry is the Bhopal gas tragedy, which took place in 1984 (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from the facility and spread through small towns located near the factory (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). As a result of this incident, over half a million people were exposed to gas. Thousands died, and many were left with chronic long-term health conditions (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Investigation showed that the primary reason behind the incident was corporate negligence (Pearce & Tombs, 2019). Executives, aiming to save money, did not invest in safety measures and did not perform safety audits.

The incident in Bhopal mainly affected the human environment, which demonstrates that unfavorable influence may be done not only to thy physical environment and the animal ecosystem but also to human health. Some issues are even more complicated and affect all organisms, including the flora and fauna of a region. Such an event has happened recently in Russia, where a diesel spill resulted in toxic products spreading through nearby rivers. The incident will have a negative impact on the people of the region that use this water for irrigation and consumption, animals that drink this water, and plants that grow nearby. These spills also resulted from corporate negligence executives ignored the need to replace old storage facilities.

Impact on Human Environment

There are two ways the chemical industry affects human well-being. Companies may sell chemical products that have a deteriorating influence on human health. For instance, some food additives may have adverse effects on children. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may result from exposure of a child to toxic substances, some of which may be in foods and drinks (Yari et al., 2016). In other words, direct consumption or usage of commodities that have toxic substances is one way the industry impacts the human environment (Yari et al., 2016). The second way is related to occupational health and working conditions of employees in the industry (Yari et al., 2016). Hazardous agents that can be found in the majority of plants should be managed by introducing corresponding safety measures.

Failure to address health concerns in working environments may lead to severe outcomes. Scientific evidence suggests that the majority of employees working in the chemical industry are at a high level of risk (Yari et al., 2016). For instance, an assessment of a latex glove company yielded discouraging results. At least 20% of workers were at a high level of carcinogens and acids that were not managed adequately (Yari et al., 2016). Therefore, it is reasonable to claim that external regulation is needed for companies operating in the chemical industry.

Conclusion

The chemical industry is a significant portion of the contemporary economy. Many technological breakthroughs are associated with developments in chemical engineering and production. Despite these benefits, the unfavorable environmental impact is a rising concern. When thinking of the environment, most people consider animals and plants. However, the chemical industry also affects the human environment and health. The impact is sophisticated in nature and may be comprised of an interrelated chain of negative influences. Leaks may damage the ecosystem, which may cause long-term issues in animal population and plant growth. Corporate neglect may lead to a lack of internal safety auditing and the absence of occupational safety measures. In such a context, determining the magnitude of the impact may become challenging.

References

Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Pearce, F., & Tombs, S. (2019). Toxic capitalism: Corporate crime and the chemical industry. Routledge.

Yari, S., Fallah Asadi, A., & Varmazyar, S. (2016). Assessment of semi-quantitative health risks of exposure to harmful chemical agents in the context of carcinogenesis in the latex glove manufacturing industry. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 17(S3), 205-211.

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