Running head: Contaminated Water Source Case Study
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Contaminated Water Source Case Study
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Contaminated Water Source Case Study
Bo Zhang
2019/04/29
Fisher College
Background
Due to a 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol spill on the Elk river, it left about 300,000 people out of domestic water supply. The contaminates influenced 9 counties and cause schools and businesses shut down. According to a Reuters report, contaminate chemical product is leaked from tank running by Freedom Industries. On their website, they describe themselves as a producer of specialty chemicals for the mining, steel, and cement industries. The leaked chemical penetrated through the soil and migrated into the river, one mile downriver from the leaking tank is where West Virginia American Water Co. located. State of West Virginia has declared an emergency after concluding the tap water was contaminated, they warned all customers in the 9 counties stop using tap water to prevent health problem.
Analysis
On U.S. National Library of Medicine, it described the 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol as a clear, colorless liquid which is using in mining to separate coal and steel from rocks. If human accidently drink the contaminate water, it will cause Nausea, Vomiting, Dizziness, Headaches, Diarrhea, Reddened skin, Itching and Rashes. Even though the toxic didn’t direct touch with human, 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol can vaporize due to high temperature, and the steam can cause similar symptoms (TOXNET, 2014).
Externality is an economic side effect of a good or service impose on third parties other than seller and buyer. For example, positive externality such as education. The essence of education is a service trading between school and student. The side effect of this trade can bring benefit to the community, so this is a positive externality. On the other hand, negative externality like air pollution caused by factories. For whom not owner of the factory or consumer of the factory, their air is polluted and cause damage to their health and environment. Because those people cost on unrelated economic activity, so this is negative externality. In this case, Freedom Industry leaking chemicals into river is a typical negative externality. This emergency caused people in 9 counties shut down business, suffering health issues and short on domestic water.
As the environmental scientist/economist involved in this case. The major job is do research on the case and build up a model to forecast economic trending in this area. Base on the study of environmental scientist and economist do, local government can give response to the problem more effective and make more reliable plan. In this case, there are few side effects cause by the emergency. First one is pollution in this area, people can not use tap water, factories, business, and schools are shut down due to no water supply. If I were elected official in that district, first of first is a quick response, gathering local officers and find wa...
