Michael E. Kraft, Mark Stephan, and Troy D. Abel
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262014953
- eISBN:
- 9780262295208
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014953.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. It reports the analysis of quantitative data, which reveals the changes made in the sample of ...
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This chapter reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. It reports the analysis of quantitative data, which reveals the changes made in the sample of facilities using different methods to measure environmental performance while releasing TRI chemicals over time. It also explains key dependent variables, which include indicators of changes in releases of toxic chemicals and their risk levels and the reasons why these variables were selected. These variables are measured by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model. Some states and facilities in the United States have made more progress in pollution reduction than others.Less
This chapter reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. It reports the analysis of quantitative data, which reveals the changes made in the sample of facilities using different methods to measure environmental performance while releasing TRI chemicals over time. It also explains key dependent variables, which include indicators of changes in releases of toxic chemicals and their risk levels and the reasons why these variables were selected. These variables are measured by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model. Some states and facilities in the United States have made more progress in pollution reduction than others.
Jill Lindsey Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262015981
- eISBN:
- 9780262298766
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262015981.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Technological and institutional innovations have helped investors and growers to transform Californian agriculture and make it exceptionally profitable. The major concern for growers for having high ...
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Technological and institutional innovations have helped investors and growers to transform Californian agriculture and make it exceptionally profitable. The major concern for growers for having high yield had been pest control, and to control pests they embraced chemical technologies and started using pesticides. Toxic chemical pesticides are common in use for agricultural production in California and cause pesticide drift that affects humans, animals, and the environment adversely. This chapter identifies actors such as chemical manufacturers, investors, distributors, farmers, and others who play different roles in the agricultural industry and shape the pesticide drift by keeping pesticides widely available and promoting the use of pesticides for their profits. It further mentions that these actors have made some significant efforts to avert the problem of pesticide drift, but these efforts in the name of environmental sustainability are essentially circumscribed by the imperative of the industry to maximize profits.Less
Technological and institutional innovations have helped investors and growers to transform Californian agriculture and make it exceptionally profitable. The major concern for growers for having high yield had been pest control, and to control pests they embraced chemical technologies and started using pesticides. Toxic chemical pesticides are common in use for agricultural production in California and cause pesticide drift that affects humans, animals, and the environment adversely. This chapter identifies actors such as chemical manufacturers, investors, distributors, farmers, and others who play different roles in the agricultural industry and shape the pesticide drift by keeping pesticides widely available and promoting the use of pesticides for their profits. It further mentions that these actors have made some significant efforts to avert the problem of pesticide drift, but these efforts in the name of environmental sustainability are essentially circumscribed by the imperative of the industry to maximize profits.
Ken Geiser
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262012522
- eISBN:
- 9780262327015
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262012522.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Thousands of synthetic chemicals are used to make our clothing, cosmetics, household products and electronic devices. However, many of these chemicals are hazardous and potentially dangerous to our ...
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Thousands of synthetic chemicals are used to make our clothing, cosmetics, household products and electronic devices. However, many of these chemicals are hazardous and potentially dangerous to our health and the environment. For fifty years, the conventional approach to hazardous chemicals has focused on regulation, barriers, and control. Today, there is a growing international interest in going beyond a singular focus on toxic and hazardous chemicals and developing broader policies for managing all chemicals. This book proposes a new strategy for chemical management based on changing chemical production and consumption systems. Reviewing the many initiatives now on-going in the product and chemical markets, in industry, and in science, Chemicals without Harm offers a strategy based on characterizing, classifying and prioritizing chemicals, identifying and adopting safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals, and promoting the research and innovation needed to develop those alternatives.Less
Thousands of synthetic chemicals are used to make our clothing, cosmetics, household products and electronic devices. However, many of these chemicals are hazardous and potentially dangerous to our health and the environment. For fifty years, the conventional approach to hazardous chemicals has focused on regulation, barriers, and control. Today, there is a growing international interest in going beyond a singular focus on toxic and hazardous chemicals and developing broader policies for managing all chemicals. This book proposes a new strategy for chemical management based on changing chemical production and consumption systems. Reviewing the many initiatives now on-going in the product and chemical markets, in industry, and in science, Chemicals without Harm offers a strategy based on characterizing, classifying and prioritizing chemicals, identifying and adopting safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals, and promoting the research and innovation needed to develop those alternatives.
Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814799932
- eISBN:
- 9780814763841
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814799932.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
This chapter examines government response to disasters by presenting presents case studies of industrial accidents and other incidents that have affected African Americans dating back to the early ...
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This chapter examines government response to disasters by presenting presents case studies of industrial accidents and other incidents that have affected African Americans dating back to the early 1930s. It first discusses the risk of toxic chemicals in the United States before analyzing each of the cases, including the Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, mine disaster in 1930; the Gaylord Chemical tank car accident in Bogalusa, Louisiana, in 1995; the Norfolk Southern Railway train wreck that released toxic chlorine gas in Graniteville, South Carolina, in 2005; the ExxonMobil Baytown, Texas, refinery gas spill in 2006; and the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The chapter also explores the role of race and race-based decision making and industrial practices in responding to threats from locally unwanted land uses and risky facilities in African American communities.Less
This chapter examines government response to disasters by presenting presents case studies of industrial accidents and other incidents that have affected African Americans dating back to the early 1930s. It first discusses the risk of toxic chemicals in the United States before analyzing each of the cases, including the Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, mine disaster in 1930; the Gaylord Chemical tank car accident in Bogalusa, Louisiana, in 1995; the Norfolk Southern Railway train wreck that released toxic chlorine gas in Graniteville, South Carolina, in 2005; the ExxonMobil Baytown, Texas, refinery gas spill in 2006; and the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The chapter also explores the role of race and race-based decision making and industrial practices in responding to threats from locally unwanted land uses and risky facilities in African American communities.
Frederick Rowe Davis
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300205176
- eISBN:
- 9780300210378
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300205176.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Nature
Rachel Carson's eloquent book Silent Spring stands as one of the most important books of the twentieth century and inspired important and long-lasting changes in environmental science and government ...
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Rachel Carson's eloquent book Silent Spring stands as one of the most important books of the twentieth century and inspired important and long-lasting changes in environmental science and government policy. This text sets Carson's study in the context of the twentieth century, reconsiders her achievement, and analyzes its legacy in light of toxic chemical use and regulation today. The book examines the history of pesticide development alongside the evolution of the science of toxicology and tracks legislation governing exposure to chemicals across the twentieth century. It affirms the brilliance of Carson's careful scientific interpretations drawing on data from university and government toxicologists. Although Silent Spring instigated legislation that successfully terminated DDT use, other warnings were ignored. Ironically, we replaced one poison with even more toxic ones. The book concludes that we urgently need new thinking about how we evaluate and regulate pesticides in accounting for their ecological and human toll.Less
Rachel Carson's eloquent book Silent Spring stands as one of the most important books of the twentieth century and inspired important and long-lasting changes in environmental science and government policy. This text sets Carson's study in the context of the twentieth century, reconsiders her achievement, and analyzes its legacy in light of toxic chemical use and regulation today. The book examines the history of pesticide development alongside the evolution of the science of toxicology and tracks legislation governing exposure to chemicals across the twentieth century. It affirms the brilliance of Carson's careful scientific interpretations drawing on data from university and government toxicologists. Although Silent Spring instigated legislation that successfully terminated DDT use, other warnings were ignored. Ironically, we replaced one poison with even more toxic ones. The book concludes that we urgently need new thinking about how we evaluate and regulate pesticides in accounting for their ecological and human toll.
Michael E. Kraft, Mark Stephan, and Troy D. Abel
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262014953
- eISBN:
- 9780262295208
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014953.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter examines some of the factors that influence state variations in environmental performance among facilities in the United States. It emphasizes the variability in environmental ...
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This chapter examines some of the factors that influence state variations in environmental performance among facilities in the United States. It emphasizes the variability in environmental performance in all states across the country and among companies that report through the TRI program over a period of time. Some facilities deserve more attention than those that exhibit a slight improvement in environmental performance, with a state’s contribution in such performance varying significantly. The state’s scale allows a more detailed scrutiny of the impact of information disclosure programs on companies’ environmental performance. Many states have exceeded the expectations of the federal TRI program, with additional efforts being made to distribute and share toxic chemical data among the public.Less
This chapter examines some of the factors that influence state variations in environmental performance among facilities in the United States. It emphasizes the variability in environmental performance in all states across the country and among companies that report through the TRI program over a period of time. Some facilities deserve more attention than those that exhibit a slight improvement in environmental performance, with a state’s contribution in such performance varying significantly. The state’s scale allows a more detailed scrutiny of the impact of information disclosure programs on companies’ environmental performance. Many states have exceeded the expectations of the federal TRI program, with additional efforts being made to distribute and share toxic chemical data among the public.
Barry S. Levy
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190914653
- eISBN:
- 9780190914684
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190914653.003.0018
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter describes the adverse impact of social injustice on environmental health. Environmental pollution is a social injustice for all people, with a disproportionate impact on low- and ...
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This chapter describes the adverse impact of social injustice on environmental health. Environmental pollution is a social injustice for all people, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries and, within countries, low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. The chapter describes the evolution of the environmental justice movement and the studies that have demonstrated disproportionate exposures and the disproportionate occurrence of pollution-related diseases among low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. A separate section describes the environmental and health consequences of global climate change. Three text boxes focus on childhood lead poisoning, the impact of natural disasters on social justice, and on the new interdiscipilinary field of planetary health.Less
This chapter describes the adverse impact of social injustice on environmental health. Environmental pollution is a social injustice for all people, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries and, within countries, low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. The chapter describes the evolution of the environmental justice movement and the studies that have demonstrated disproportionate exposures and the disproportionate occurrence of pollution-related diseases among low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. A separate section describes the environmental and health consequences of global climate change. Three text boxes focus on childhood lead poisoning, the impact of natural disasters on social justice, and on the new interdiscipilinary field of planetary health.
Christer Brönmark and Lars-Anders Hansson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199583096
- eISBN:
- 9780191810091
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199583096.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
In recent years it has become increasingly clear that chemical interactions play a fundamental role in aquatic habitats and have far-reaching evolutionary and ecological consequences. A plethora of ...
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In recent years it has become increasingly clear that chemical interactions play a fundamental role in aquatic habitats and have far-reaching evolutionary and ecological consequences. A plethora of studies have shown that aquatic organisms from most taxa and functional groups respond to minute concentrations of chemical substances released by other organisms. However, our knowledge of this ‘chemical network’ is still negligible. Chemical interactions can be divided into two larger sub-areas based on the function of the chemical substance. First, there are interactions where chemical substances are toxic to other organisms and are used as a defence against consumers (including both herbivores and predators) or a weapon against competitors (allelopathy). Second, chemical substances may be used as a source for information on the environment; for example: how can I find the optimal habitat, the best food, the nicest partner, and avoid being eaten? Aquatic organisms are able to detect and respond to extremely low concentrations of chemical cues to answer all these questions. The book aims at connecting these intriguing chemical interactions with traditional knowledge of organism interactions. It covers a wide range of studies, both plant and animal, from different geographic regions and habitats — pelagic as well as benthic. Most of the chemical interactions are similar in freshwater and marine habitats and this book therefore strives at integrating work on both systems.Less
In recent years it has become increasingly clear that chemical interactions play a fundamental role in aquatic habitats and have far-reaching evolutionary and ecological consequences. A plethora of studies have shown that aquatic organisms from most taxa and functional groups respond to minute concentrations of chemical substances released by other organisms. However, our knowledge of this ‘chemical network’ is still negligible. Chemical interactions can be divided into two larger sub-areas based on the function of the chemical substance. First, there are interactions where chemical substances are toxic to other organisms and are used as a defence against consumers (including both herbivores and predators) or a weapon against competitors (allelopathy). Second, chemical substances may be used as a source for information on the environment; for example: how can I find the optimal habitat, the best food, the nicest partner, and avoid being eaten? Aquatic organisms are able to detect and respond to extremely low concentrations of chemical cues to answer all these questions. The book aims at connecting these intriguing chemical interactions with traditional knowledge of organism interactions. It covers a wide range of studies, both plant and animal, from different geographic regions and habitats — pelagic as well as benthic. Most of the chemical interactions are similar in freshwater and marine habitats and this book therefore strives at integrating work on both systems.
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226772028
- eISBN:
- 9780226772042
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226772042.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter begins with a discussion of cases involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's attempts to regulate toxic chemical exposures in the workplace, in order to illustrate the ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of cases involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's attempts to regulate toxic chemical exposures in the workplace, in order to illustrate the harm caused by unwarranted judicial interference. Next, it explains the evidence demonstrating judicial bias. It examines the incentives that motivate judges to discover why such bias arises. It discusses how ideological judging creates regulatory dysfunction. The chapter concludes with a series of recommendations for arresting these trends by defining the appropriate role of judges as last-resort or “border patrol” overseers.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of cases involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's attempts to regulate toxic chemical exposures in the workplace, in order to illustrate the harm caused by unwarranted judicial interference. Next, it explains the evidence demonstrating judicial bias. It examines the incentives that motivate judges to discover why such bias arises. It discusses how ideological judging creates regulatory dysfunction. The chapter concludes with a series of recommendations for arresting these trends by defining the appropriate role of judges as last-resort or “border patrol” overseers.
Jill Lindsey Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262015981
- eISBN:
- 9780262298766
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262015981.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Pesticide illness is one of the major environmental problems in the world today. Use of pesticides in agriculture is common, but the health-related consequences related to this get widely unnoticed, ...
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Pesticide illness is one of the major environmental problems in the world today. Use of pesticides in agriculture is common, but the health-related consequences related to this get widely unnoticed, unreported, and unaddressed in the thick of maximizing productivity. Agriculture in California, famous for its industrial character, turns out highly toxic chemical pesticides, which brings about pesticide drift in the region. The airborne movement of agricultural pesticides into human habitats such as residential areas, schools, and other spaces is known as pesticide drift. The problem of agricultural pesticide drift is reported to have made hundreds of Californians ill, and it continues to be an environmental concern for different actors from industry, the state, and activists groups. These actors have consistently been investing in innovative efforts to make the agriculture environmentally sustainable in the region. This chapter draws attention to the issue of pesticide drift and political conflict over it in California.Less
Pesticide illness is one of the major environmental problems in the world today. Use of pesticides in agriculture is common, but the health-related consequences related to this get widely unnoticed, unreported, and unaddressed in the thick of maximizing productivity. Agriculture in California, famous for its industrial character, turns out highly toxic chemical pesticides, which brings about pesticide drift in the region. The airborne movement of agricultural pesticides into human habitats such as residential areas, schools, and other spaces is known as pesticide drift. The problem of agricultural pesticide drift is reported to have made hundreds of Californians ill, and it continues to be an environmental concern for different actors from industry, the state, and activists groups. These actors have consistently been investing in innovative efforts to make the agriculture environmentally sustainable in the region. This chapter draws attention to the issue of pesticide drift and political conflict over it in California.
David Sarokin and Jay Schulkin
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034920
- eISBN:
- 9780262336253
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034920.003.0006
- Subject:
- Information Science, Library Science
Consumers have access to substantial information on the products they buy, but much information is missing. “Sustainability information” – about traits like greenhouse gases, child labor, toxic ...
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Consumers have access to substantial information on the products they buy, but much information is missing. “Sustainability information” – about traits like greenhouse gases, child labor, toxic chemicals – is not part of the flow of information. In its absence, the market cannot reflect consumer values about sustainability. New sources of information could integrate our collective values into day-to-day consumer transactions, and make ordinary shopping a path to a more sustainable future.Less
Consumers have access to substantial information on the products they buy, but much information is missing. “Sustainability information” – about traits like greenhouse gases, child labor, toxic chemicals – is not part of the flow of information. In its absence, the market cannot reflect consumer values about sustainability. New sources of information could integrate our collective values into day-to-day consumer transactions, and make ordinary shopping a path to a more sustainable future.
Kottas Athanasios and Fronczyk Kassandra
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199695607
- eISBN:
- 9780191744167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695607.003.0005
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Probability / Statistics
Developmental toxicity studies investigate birth defects caused by toxic chemicals. This chapter develops a Bayesian nonparametric modelling approach for risk assessment in developmental toxicity ...
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Developmental toxicity studies investigate birth defects caused by toxic chemicals. This chapter develops a Bayesian nonparametric modelling approach for risk assessment in developmental toxicity studies. The model is built from a mixture with a product Binomial kernel, to capture the nested structure of the responses, and a dependent Dirichlet process (DDP) prior for the dose-dependent mixing distributions. The resulting nonparametric DDP mixture model provides rich inference for the response distributions as well as for the dose-response curves. Data from a toxicity experiment involving a plasticizing agent were used to illustrate the scientifically relevant features of the DDP mixture model with regard to estimation of different dose-response relationships for different endpoints, including non-monotonic dose-response curves.Less
Developmental toxicity studies investigate birth defects caused by toxic chemicals. This chapter develops a Bayesian nonparametric modelling approach for risk assessment in developmental toxicity studies. The model is built from a mixture with a product Binomial kernel, to capture the nested structure of the responses, and a dependent Dirichlet process (DDP) prior for the dose-dependent mixing distributions. The resulting nonparametric DDP mixture model provides rich inference for the response distributions as well as for the dose-response curves. Data from a toxicity experiment involving a plasticizing agent were used to illustrate the scientifically relevant features of the DDP mixture model with regard to estimation of different dose-response relationships for different endpoints, including non-monotonic dose-response curves.
