Both science
and technology have allowed society’s growth in many aspects: education, health,
and economy, among others. They have also led to the enlargement of industrial
areas in many cities, and this expansion sounds good because of the big leap it
means for the economy, but have you thought about the cost?
Living conditions
in industrial parks are far worse than in other areas of the city. People who
live near refineries, thermoelectric plants, and other types of factories are
exposed to several chemicals that endanger their lives in many different and
critical ways. It is common to read a piece of news saying that X amount of
people were intoxicated because X problem occurred in a factory, and most of
the times, this information refers to people who do not even work in those
plants. Another type of news that is not uncommon to read relates to people who
have been hospitalized because of lethal diseases that these factories produce.
Moreover,
the government pays little attention to these issues. For instance, in 2008, the
USA TODAY conducted a research
regarding the identification of schools near toxic spots. Do you think the U.S.
government was interested about this? No; in fact, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency never undertook such investigation.
It is good
for a country’s growth to have factories and plants of any type; however,
previous analysis and studies should be mandatory before their construction. If
the government does not pay attention to this, who is going to do it?
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