Environmental impact from the bioethical point of view

Based on the movie Erin Brockovich "A Bold Woman" (2000).

Summary

This movie shows us a true story of a town where an electric company polluted the local aquifers with high levels of chromium. The illegal and unethical affairs of the Pacific Gas & Electric company are exposed, a company that had been polluting the aquifers of the population of (California) for 30 years with a carcinogenic element, chromium VI.

Bioethics

«PG & E Gas and Electricity Company»

«Offer to Buy Real Estate» «PG & E wants to buy your house

…… and offers to pay $ 66,500, fair market value»

«Toxicology Panel Results»

«Patient Name: Donna Jensen »

« Abnormalities Detected »

« Decrease in White Cells

Increase in Lymphocytes »

« Increase in T4 Cells »

Bioethics is the branch of ethics that is dedicated to providing the principles for correct human conduct regarding life, both human life and non-human life (animal and plant), as well as the environment in which they can give yourself acceptable conditions for life.

The Pacific Gas & Electric company, based on deception, goes to buy houses at a relatively low price and for no apparent reason, but at the same time with great interest in completing the purchase - sale operation, the interesting thing here is, that if It is a purchase - sale operation of a property, which relationship had the medical results, in the same file.

You didn't put the house up for sale - do they want to buy it?

So is.

I don't want to move.

Uproot the children?

I have two girls.

I don't know if I have the energy.

I have been ill.

Pete and I were sick.

So if we don't get paid for the house, I don't see the point of selling.

Yes, I understand that. But……

I suppose what confuses me is……

and I'm not saying that her medical problems are not important, but……

why are those records together with the real estate papers?

The fundamental ethical criterion that regulates this discipline is respect for the human being, for her inalienable rights, for her true and integral good: the dignity of the person.

Bioethics and medical ethics

Sorry, what I don't understand……

is why you correspond with PG&E about your medical problems.

Well, they paid for the doctor's visit.

Really?

Of course.

They paid for the exams of the whole family. And not like with insurance, where you pay

…… and a year goes by and you may receive something.

They took care of everything. We never saw a bill. -

Why did they do that?

Because of the chrome.

- The what?

- Chromium.

That was what started this whole thing.

Bioethics, in addition to having a direct relationship with the environment, also has a relationship with people's health and its clinical aspects.

Medical ethics is not only a part of bioethics, but also has special relevance in the whole of the new discipline. The illusory claim to build a "new ethic" that would break with traditional ethics is not only unfounded but also reveals a notable ignorance. Certainly bioethics - and with it medical ethics - faces new problems today, but it has the same means as always to solve them: the judicious use of reason and the light of values and principles consistent with the specific way of being of man. It can not be any other way.

This is what the cultural and ideological diversity of today's world demands. However, being tolerant does not mean lowering the demands of reality, nor the recognition of its true ethical implications. Instead, it translates the awareness that only an attitude of open and honest dialogue, respectful of the legitimate freedom of consciences, can allow us to move forward together towards the recognition of authentic values and principles.

In this part we can see that clinical examinations were extended that did not relate the results of the diseases with some toxic element (chromium VI), and that is where we can deduce the lack of medical ethics. Besides playing with people's dignity by hiding that this was causing them really serious illnesses.

Chromium, a carcinogen?

- What kind of chrome is it?

- Is there more than one type?

Yes. Regular chromium, which does good things for the body.

Chromium three, which is quite benign.

Then there is chromium six, or chromium trioxide…

… which, depending on the amounts, can be harmful.

Harmful, how?

What could it cause?

With repeated exposure

to toxic levels, anything…

… from chronic headaches and nosebleeds to respiratory diseases…

… liver failure, heart failure…

… bone or organ damage, and any type of cancer.

So that thing kills people.

Definitely. Highly toxic, highly carcinogenic.

It also alters DNA, so the problem is passed on to your children.

For what do you use it?

A rust inhibitor.

The plants use piston engines.

Engines get hot.

They cool them with water. Chromium in water stops corrosion.

Chromium is a natural element found in rocks, animals, plants, and soil. It can exist in several different forms. Depending on the form it takes, it can be in the form of a liquid, a solid, or a gas. The most common forms are chromium (0), chromium (III), and chromium (VI). Chromium compounds do not have any special taste or smell.

Metallic chromium, which is the form of chromium (0), is used in the manufacture of steel. Chromium (VI) and Chromium (III) are used in chrome plating, colorants and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preservation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended since 1958 a maximum concentration of 0.05 mg / liter of chromium (VI) in drinking water. This value has been revised by doing new studies on its effects on health, but it has remained constant.

Environmental impact

How do I find out what kind of chrome Hinkley uses?

Were you at your water meeting?

What is that?

Every county has one.

It has records of everything related to water in its jurisdiction.

County Water Board.

Water Records

"Lahontan Regional Water Board"

"CLEANING AND VOIDING ORDER No. 6-87-160"

"READY"

"CALIFORNIA WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD"

"CLEANING AND VOIDING ORDER No. 6-87 -160 "" Chromium trioxide under the place "

" Polluted groundwater "" Chromium residue "" Pollution spreads ".

The environment is everything that surrounds an organism; It is made up of components such as water, air, animals, people, soil, which are related to each other.

The effect that a certain human activity produces on the environment is called environmental impact.

Over the years, human beings have used technology to modify the environment for their benefit; however, this technology has also contributed to damaging the environment.

The components of the environment have suffered a serious impact to the extent that technological progress has advanced and they have been applied in industrial activities.

Here we can note that there are other instances involved in the impact on the environment since they are in charge of regulating and supervising that companies comply with norms and laws for the care and conservation of the environment and in this way avoid contamination. But here we have an example of the way in which information is hidden of how a company is seriously affecting not only the environment, but also living beings (animals) and the health of people.

When talking about environmental impact, we must know that everything that surrounds us is composed of elements such as water, air, soil, plants, animals and people.

The environmental impact is the contamination of all these elements, based on this we can measure the serious consequences that it can cause to our planet.

We must commit ourselves and be aware that we must regulate the activities that alter our environment, among them we can find: industrial, agricultural, mining, among others. It must be taken into account that there are legal instruments concerning the protection, improvement and safeguarding of the environment.

Chromium (VI) compounds are toxic

The wrong mr.

What does he want?

I got an interesting call today

…… from Dr. Frankel at UCLA.

I wanted you to know that the legal limit for chromium trioxide

…… is.05 parts per million.

At the rate you mentioned,.58……

could be responsible for the cancers in the family in question

…… the Jensens.

Chromium. Chromium is a heavy metal that accumulates in the ground. Humans and animals are exposed to chromium by inhalation (in the air or in tobacco smoke), through the skin (occupational exposure), or by ingestion (usually from agricultural products or in water). The systematic toxicity of chromium is mainly due to the derivatives of chromium VI (hexavalents) which, contrary to the trivalents (Cr III), can enter the body by any route much more easily. However, significant risks associated with trivalent chromium have also been documented.

Generally, chromium metal and chromium (III) compounds are not considered to be especially a health hazard; It is an essential element for humans, but in high concentrations it is toxic.

Chromium (VI) compounds are toxic if ingested, the lethal dose being a few grams. At non-lethal levels, Cr (VI) is carcinogenic. Most chromium (VI) compounds irritate the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes.

Chronic exposure to chromium (VI) compounds can cause permanent eye damage.

The electric company we are analyzing used chromium levels above the established norm.

The Precautionary Principle in Environmental Bioethics

… when you receive a call from PG & E.

They say that a road is being built and that your house will be a way out.

Meanwhile, her husband is sick with Hodgkin.

She comes in and out of the hospital with tumors.

And she doesn't see any relationship.

Did PG&E tell you about chrome?

I heard. They did a seminar.

They invited 200 residents of the area.

They did it at the plant.

They talk about chromium three, its benefits

…… but they are using chromium six.

The document you found at the water board

…… the one that mentions bad chrome

…… did you make a copy by chance?

The precautionary principle, an idea that has always existed, is now applied to these issues and is considered a benchmark. If we evaluate the impact of risk on people, talking about the precautionary principle makes a lot of sense, also related to justice. It cannot be that the risks are assumed by the most disadvantaged. Many of the risks of an unhealthy environment are suffered most by the worst-off countries and by the poorest people in rich countries. It is very important that citizens know that risk sharing is also a function of Law It is very important that citizens know that risk sharing is also a function of Law and a political decision, and in this sense also a citizen: not only Taxes or profits must be distributed fairly, but also risk situations, so that they do not fall on them. There are many ecological risks and it depends on where we are located they are very different.

In this particular case, the company carried out a seminar in which it was informed about chromium and its benefits, apparently complying with the precautionary principle, in this seminar all the people who should be aware of the substances that used the plant, but the reality was different since the chromium they used was chromium six, which put the inhabitants of Hinkley (California) at high risk, in addition to causing irreparable health damage.

Lack of knowledge and information about society

«TRANSMITTING…»

«DEPTO. FROM PG&E CLAIMS »

A control well at the plant?

That means that–

On the PG&E property itself.

And you say this thing, this……

chromium trioxide… is poisonous.

It has to be different water than ours because ours is fine.

The people at PG&E told me.

They sat in the kitchen and told me the water was fine.

I know, but the toxicologist I was talking to……

gave me a list of problems

…… that arise from exposure to chromium trioxide.

Everything you have is on that list.

No, that's not what our doctor said.

He said that……

one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

But PG&E paid for that doctor.

Ashley!

Shanna! Get out of the pool!

The information of the people is essential so that they can make informed decisions and so that a fair distribution of risks can be made. In the environment there is an even more serious issue, and that is that even if the rule is applied and the offender is punished, the damage has already been done. That is why it is important to raise public awareness to avoid damage.

Here we can clearly see how the affected people are unaware of the problems caused to the environment and the impact they have caused with water pollution. For this reason, it is important to inform people about how to take care of these types of risks. Because in this case the ecological damage was already discovered quite late, because most of the people who lived in the contaminated place were already sick.

Health effects

PG & E's own technicians documented……

toxic levels of chromium trioxide in those wells numerous times.

Everything the Jensens have had……

is a reaction to exposure to chromium trioxide and they have had……

breast cysts, uterine cancer, Hodgkin's disease……

immune deficiency, asthma, bleeding–

The inhabitants of Hinkley (California), when exposed to chromium VI, had various reactions, which turned into diseases such as uterine cancer, Hodhkin's disease (Also called Hodgkin's lymphoma, it is a cancer that originates in the lymphatic tissue. This tissue includes the lymph nodes and related organs that are part of the body's immune system and blood-producing system), among others. Here we can find the lack of ethics towards the environment and human beings since the company itself had documentation that supported the toxic levels of chromium VI that they used and also a monitoring well, and what is worse they knew the reactions that this caused to the inhabitants of the place.

Chromium (VI) compounds have been determined to be human carcinogens by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the EPA.

Moral values and principles.

Before embarking on any crusade… remember who you are dealing with.

PG&E is a 28 billion dollar company.

$ 28 billion?

I didn't know it was that much! Wow!

Snails!

This is deduced from the definition of bioethics of the “Encyclopaedia of Bioethics”: systematic study of human behavior in the field of life and health sciences, analyzed in the light of moral values and principles »(Reich, 1978).

Despite the fact that it was a very powerful company, it lacked values and moral principles since it was not interested in the damage caused to people and the environment, they wanted an unfair purchase of people's properties and disclaimed responsibilities.

Effects on animals

PG&E bought our house last year. The vet said they had tumors and that sort of thing.

You can see--

They couldn't really walk.

How many were born like this?

Twelve or thirteen more or less.

When Donna told us what you told her about chrome

…… we figured it was related to this.

The main effects seen in animals that ingest chromium (VI) compounds are irritation and ulcers in the stomach and small intestine and anemia. In laboratory animals exposed to chromium (VI), damage to sperm and the male reproductive system has also been observed.

The environmental impact caused by the contamination of water with chromium VI, did not exempt the animals, which also when ingesting the contaminated water were affected in the development and functioning of their limbs, as their environment was affected.

Statute of limitations

There's something about this that I don't understand, Mr. Masry.

If PG&E ruined our water…… why did they bother to tell us all?

Why not keep it a secret?

To establish a statute of limitations.

In a case like this, they have one year

…… from hearing about the problem, to file a lawsuit. So PG&E thinks, “We will tell these people that the water is not perfect.

If we can go a year without anyone suing us…

… we will be safe ».

Yes, the laws have a time limit to sue. A statute of limitations or statute of limitations determines the term in which a plaintiff can present her case in court. This type of law may be different in each state and may vary according to the type of injury suffered by the plaintiff.

It is important to be alert before this type of situation and to know the laws that protect and protect the environment, since in this case the company was acting with treachery and lack of ethics, because it did give a report on chromium, but as a profit element, not as it was actually affecting the environment.

Technological advances and security measures, to safeguard the integrity of people and their environment.

Mr. Pérez, this is so important.

Is it okay if I take notes?

I have so many questions.

I want to know how the plant works, cooling towers, everything.

They use the chromium trioxide here in these cooling towers…

… as an anticorrosive.

They pour the excess water into these ponds.

I don't remember seeing ponds there.

This photo is old.

They covered them.

Not very carefully-

If you dig a few inches

…… the earth is green as a bloody clover.

And that caused the contamination?

It didn't help, but no.

The problem started in the background.

In accordance with…

… This……

in general the ponds are lined

…… so that the filth does not seep onto the ground.

But guess what?

- Did you skip that step?

Here are the ponds.

The steam goes down like this.

And Hinkley is down here.

14 years of chromium trioxide flowing into groundwater.

The objective of bioethics is to educate and seek the transformation of man for the exercise of good as a result of a thoughtful, conscious and responsible action. In the event that damage to people, animals or other living organisms and the environment occurs in the investigation processes, the criminal laws related to these crimes, in force in the country, will be applied.

The right to live and the conservation of species is fundamental in humanity.

Technological advances have allowed a better life, but thoughtless abuse has caused great danger and constantly threatens people and every living thing on the planet.

The company in question did not carry out the security measures required to avoid damage to people and the environment that surrounded it, the leaders did not respect life, nor did they give it the moral value of what it would imply not taking adequate measures to protect the environment and cause an environmental impact.

The demand

I have a lawsuit before me on behalf

of…… the residents of Hinkley, California……

who have sued Pacific Gas & Electric

…… for damages, medical expenses

and personal trauma

…… due to the contamination of

groundwater in their area by the defendant.

All right, in the case of Hinkley, California……

versus Pacific Gas & Electric, this court

…… decides that each of the 84 motions

…… to vacate and the exceptions are denied.

And the causes of the lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric remain.

On a more personal note

…… as a resident of Barstow, which is not far from Hinkley……

I am disturbed by the reference to evidence that…

… Not only was chromium trioxide used

…… but their clients actually sent brochures to these residents

…… telling them it was beneficial.

Tell your clients that they will go to trial.

PG&E has requested that we submit to arbitration.

What is that?

When the case is tried without a jury, only before a judge.

The judge's ruling is Final.

There is no appeal.

- How many applicants are there?

- 634.

The settlement awarded to the plaintiffs…

… in Hinkley v. PG & E…

… was the largest in a direct action lawsuit in US history. "

«PG & E claims that they no longer use chromium trioxide…

… in any of their compressor plants…

… And that all of its retention ponds are lined

…… to prevent underground contamination. "

There is a lot of legislation, what happens is that the powerful seek a way not to comply with it. Controlling power has always been a difficulty of the Law. It is not that there are no rules, it is that you have to apply them.

Globalization leads us to lose track of responsibility for things and the ability of large companies and multinationals to put pressure even on governments. Precisely there is the struggle of the Law and international organizations. Sometimes it does not work by laws but more by social boycott, or by demanding responsibilities. That is why a change is necessary.

conclusion

We can conclude that agencies, companies and individuals have a great responsibility in caring for the environment, since we must become aware of the great damage that we can cause if we do not act with values and ethical principles, we must take care, maintain and safeguard our planet.

Since if we act irresponsibly we will be contributing to the degradation of our environment, and the impact that we cause directly or indirectly on our environment.

We know that technological advances have been of great benefit, but it is important to measure and monitor the causes of risk, the individual must always be professional, judicious and upright in decision-making.

Because above all we must have respect for life, acting with integrity and ethics, and being proactive in situations that affect the environment in which we are and our future generations will live.

We must not discriminate against anything or anyone, because we are all part of a whole that is our world, each piece of it is also ours and we must be respectful and educate our children in such a way that caring for the child is part of their daily lives. environment.

We must consider the dignity of the human being as a main value, from which equity, survival, freedom, identity, trust, respect, mutual help are derived, which are key in a person's life.

Bibliography and sources of information

RISK

AND PRECAUTION

Residència d'Investigadors

CSIC-Generalitat de Catalunya

Barcelona, 2005

STEPS TOWARDS AN ENVIRONMENTAL BIOETHICS

Seminar held

on May 29, 2003

at the Researchers' Residence

CSIC-Generalitat de Catalunya

Mª Jesús Buxó and María Casado (coords.)