The Environmental Damage at Herculaneum - Essay Sample

Who bears the responsibility for causing the environmental damage at Herculaneum?

Doe Run Companys lead smelter is the sole entity responsible for the environmental damage at Herculaneum town and the areas within the vicinity of the plant. The sole responsibility is because the company had been in operation since 1892 and the damage observed on the environment traces back to their product lead. The toxins have accumulated over the years with the federal and state regulators following up on the company for the pollution (McNew-Birren, 2011). In 1991, the garden soils of approximately ninety homes had been contaminated by lead requiring the top soil to be replaced. A 2001 study showed that 24% of children under six years and living within a mile of the plant had significant levels of lead in their bloodstream. Lead levels as high as 300,000 parts per million were found on the roads used by the companys trucks. Before their closure in 2013, their lead emissions were more than the legally permissible levels making Herculaneum one of the two places in the United States that failed to meet federal air standards for lead. All these instances point out to the responsibility of Doe Runs lead smelter company on the environmental damages at the Herculaneum residence.

Who has the responsibility of cleaning up the Herculaneum?

The direct responsibility of cleaning up the town lies with the company that caused the damage, which is the Doe Run Company. In 1991, the company was ordered to replace topsoil for gardens of about ninety homes that had been contaminated (McNew-Birren, 2011). As a result of the health hazard lead had caused especially on children, the company agreed to clean up the site and install pollution-control devices to prevent further contamination. However, the federal government chipped in but indirectly through advising the residents on measures to take to minimize the risk of getting lead contamination such as restraining children from playing outside and altering their diets to avoid lead poisoning. The Herculaneum residents, however, wanted the federal government to declare the area a Superfund cleanup site and use federal funds to buy out the whole town, a plan that the federal termed as a delay to the solution. Doe Run drew up a plan with the state of Missouri and purchased more than 130 local homes, removed contaminated soil from an additional 700 properties, and fenced off the area around the plant; but still, the plant continued to exceed the legally permitted limits on lead emissions regularly.

Is the Herculaneum better without the smelter, or should environmental standards have been waived to save jobs?

Although the closure of the Doe Run smelter brought about several losses both to the community and the government, the closing of the plant would result to more good than bad in the long-run. Good health is an inevitable requirement for any community to thrive. The existence of the smelter was posing a constant health hazard to the Herculaneum community. Children are particularly more affected by lead poisoning with risks of suffering profound and permanent adverse health effects such as the development of the brain and nervous system. Pregnant women can suffer miscarriages, premature or stillbirths as well as other malformations. Adults exposed to lead risk long-term harm which includes high blood pressure and kidney damage. Health problems result into many drawbacks such as low production for the working population, increased costs of living while seeking medical attention and could even result in death. Exposing people to such health hazards is not worth since other health-friendly companies can be set up to replace the smelter plant at Herculaneum. The new company may not match the contribution of the Doe Run smelter but will solve some of the problems such as creating jobs, corporate social responsibility, in addition to keeping the environment safe for the surrounding community.

What do you think Keystone Sanitary should do to embrace CSR?

Keystone Sanitary Landfill poses an environmental concern for the people living in the two Pennsylvania towns namely Dunmore and Throop. The landfill, on the other hand, contributes largely to the economic growth of the two towns with Throop receiving $4 million out of its $6 million budget from the landfill host fees. The landfill also offers employment to members of the communities from these two towns. This poses a dilemma on whether to tolerate the environmental impacts posed by this landfill for the sake of economic growth or not. However, Keystone Sanitary can carry out corporate social responsibility activities that would ensure that the people around the landfill are not affected by its operations. The biggest step Keystone can take towards embracing CSR is introducing a buyout program for the people living closest to the landfill who could be affected by it most. These should be people who are not comfortable living around the area and would like to sell their property to the company and relocate elsewhere. They can also support some projects, for instance, infrastructural repair. By these, Keystone gets to continue its operations, and the two towns continue enjoying the economic contribution of the company to their growth.

References

McNew-Birren, J. (2011). The Impacts Of Lead Contamination On The Community Of Herculaneum, Missouri.