Teflon.
It's been a staple of American kitchens for so long, that we don't give it any thought. We fry our omelets, and then slide them right off of the pans. We cook our rice in rice cookers, and scoop the clumps of grain out without worrying about them sticking to the pot. We cook stews and meats and all sort of things, thankful that we no longer need to scrub the bottoms of the pots and pans with scouring powder and steel wool. Yet it comes at a price.
Teflon - and more specifically the process of synthesizing the chemical compound for Teflon - results in chemical wastes that are dangerous, and toxic. In fact, they are powerful carcinogens, cancer causing agents. Problem is: Teflon has been, and still is, one of the most successful and profitable products manufactured by the DuPont chemical corporation. How does one evaluate corporate profits against the overall health and well being of people and their surrounding communities. (Something that we'll discuss further in class - )
Perhaps you can have the discussion with the people of Hoosic Falls, NY, a town located along the Hoosic River, bordering on New York State. Today's Valley News has a major story about a plastics factory that manufacturers a plastic very similar to Teflon, and drains its chemical wastes into the Hoosic River. Which, is the main source of drinking water for the town, as many river are for their bordering town. In short - the article notes that cancer rates for the townspeople have sky rocketed. And the company has agreed to install a 2 million dollar filtration system to help clean up the water. Problem is, people, youngsters, infants, have been drinking it for years.
The factory employs many townspeople. If the fines are two stiff, the French conglomerate that owns the company may close the whole thing down and throw people out of work.
What is a good long-term solution to a problem like this? How DO we assess the needs of local economies, and local environments against the needs of companies? Is there a legitimate comparison?
Or in the end - is it only life that matters?
