Legally and Environmentally Astounded

            I am approximately halfway through A Civil Action, a novel detailing an environmental case from the 1980s. I began reading it for my Torts and Personal Injury class. On a personal level, I would highly recommend this book. Its 500 pages are daunting when you’re already drowning in schoolwork, but it makes for a fascinating read should you find yourself with the time.

            The general plot line is this: a mother finds her young son suddenly stricken with leukemia. Upon further investigation, she notices that more young children in her very small town are getting diagnosed likewise. For a few years, there have been issues with the drinking water. It smells and tastes terrible, but the town authorities say that it is perfectly safe to drink. The mother gathers parents who have lost their children, adults with leukemia, and anyone stricken with illness to join into a lawsuit. Two large companies (W.R. Grace and Beatrice) are brought in as defendants to the trial as the ones to blame for contaminating the water with TCE, a carcinogenic solvent.

            Like I said, I’m only halfway through the book. But I am shocked at how the case is unfolding. Upon further investigation and prompting from the plaintiffs’ lawyer, workers for the company are coming forth with incriminating evidence. These workers, who work and live in this small town, who drink and shower and cook with this contaminated water, knew about the contamination! They watched coworkers dump 55-gallon drums of TCE into ditches behind the buildings or participated themselves. No one gave a second thought to the ramifications of such an environmentally disrespectful act. Some of them justified these acts by saying they were told that TCE was not toxic or hurtful to anyone. Yet, after the makers of TCE found out its harm, they sent notices to everyone that the solvent is dangerous and must be legally and properly disposed of. The higher-ups of these companies intentionally disregarded these warnings. They let thousands of gallons of carcinogenic solvents be poured into the ground. Moreover, they demanded it!

            I cannot conceive of such heartless people. I am truly astounded. Which, I recognize is a foolish thing to say. I am certainly not a naïve person by any means. But I find it intensely difficult to wrap my mind around such heartless and stupid people. Rather than bother to contact a disposal company to get rid of the TCE drums, these companies just dumped it. How was there no forethought into the damage it would cause to the environment, let alone the citizens of this small town?

            This goes back to what I said in a previous blog post: the complete lack of respect for nature. There was no respect in the acquisition of this dangerous chemical. There was no respect for the damaging potential of this chemical. There was no respect in the removal of this chemical. There was no respect for the ground water, for the wildlife, for the human lives this chemical would affect.

            Foolish. Truly foolish.