Reading Review:III Winds: The Chemical Plant Next Door

This article was written by Becky Bradway. It starts off talking about her life growing up in Buffalo, Illinois. She talks about living in a small town and how much she loved it, because she didn't have a care in the world. She admits that she didn't realize all of the "grown-up" issues that her parents and other adults in the town were facing. Buffalo is actually being polluted by a chemical plant right down the road, Borden.

Borden and Buffalo

Borden is the chemical plant that is only a little ways from Buffalo, where Becky and her family lived. Her mom got sick and Becky was sure it was from the chemical wastes that Borden was putting into the water. There were fish dying and floating in the water. People from Buffalo and other towns surrounding Borden were the ones working there and supplying the wastes into the water. People around there didn't have much of a choice; it was a job! Little towns yield little power, and many kids growing up there think they should lead the life their parents did. By going to work at the factory, have children, then their children have children and so on.

Relics Remain

Even years after living there the towns remained the same. Borden was now specializing in resins and formaldehyde, Elmer's glue and a type of saran wrap. Years ago the plant used to produce milk. What is scary is that the plastic wrap we use goes into the food when you microwave it and Elmer's glue would have non-toxic levels of some chemicals. The plant also produces polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is used in tile, plastic water pipes, siding, and wire insulation. People who work in the plant making PVC have higher rates of breast and liver cancer. PVC can stay in the water that they pollute for decades and gets into the fish. The plant has been sued several times for the amount of stuff they claim they "accidently" polluted into the water and air. Borden also owns other plants throughout the country, and they also cause many problems. Not counting accidents, the plant releases 65,000 pounds of vinyl chloride and 40,000 pounds of vinyl acetate into Central Illinois air every year!

Blue-Collar Risks

Even those who didn't work for the factory faced harships with their jobs. Becky's family owned their own construction business, but that can be very hard on the body. They never could get away from the plants pollutions though. They had to drink the water and breathe the air. Although Borden isn't the only plant causing pollution into the river, it does its fair share. It is killing many fish in the water and is causing many people to get cancer and die, including Becky's mother and uncle.

My Thoughts

I am surprised that these plants are allowed to dump as much as 800,000 pounds a day of pollution into the water. I don't understand how the government agencies allow it. Also the pollution seems to be linked to the increase of certain cancers in that area, so I think that something should be done about it. I am also from a small town of about 1,200 people and I understand what she says when people just repeat what their parents do. I like to call it getting stuck in the small town "rut," but I don't really agree with her. There are so many opportunities and ways that you can achieve them these days that I don't think living in a small town and being stuck in those ways is an excuse. Someone from those towns should try and do something about it and get involved to help fix the problem!

Links

This link tells a little more about the formaldehyde production http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/6637337-1.html

This link is really neat. You can click on any of the topics and it will give you information regulations and laws for chemical plants. I especialla like the Environmental Protection Agency link! http://people.clarkson.edu/~wilcox/Design/refsafe.htm

Vocabulary:

Resins: Any of various yellowish viscous liquids or soft solids of plant origin; used in lacquers, varnishes and many other applications.

Herbicides: A herbicide is used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed.

Pesticides: A substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest.

Industrial Chemicals: Comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. It is central to modern world economy, converting raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, minerals) into more than 70,000 different products.