Constance McKinnon Essay Example

Constance McKinnon Essay When the people of Hinkley, CA experience a variety of health issues, with the help of Erin Brockovich, the company PGE is held responsible for these conditions. The Hinkley residents and the small firm that Brockovich works for believes that the cause of these medical illnesses is due to the hexavalent chromium (chromium VI, or chrome 6) in the water. Such accusations are surely false, for Hinkely can not be held responsible for such problems as miscarriages, birth defects and all types of cancer, for chromium VI is not proved to be liable for such extreme situations. No one agent could possibly have caused more than a handful of the symptoms described, and Chromium 6 in the water almost certainly couldnt have caused any of them, states author, attorney and science/health issues specialist, Michael Fumento.First, many studies have shown that only significant amounts of chromium VI can cause serious injury. The water in Hinkley had a mere .58 parts per million in their water, while r odents have been tested for illness and only with more than 200 ppm have their been dramatic malfunctions in these testings. In a laboratory testing done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rats were given water with 25 ppm of chromium VI, and a second set of rats were given distilled water and no significant adverse effects were seen in appearance, weight gain, or food consumption, and there were no pathologic changes in the blood or other tissues in any treatment group, (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, integrated risk information system). Dogs dosed at 11.2 ppm showed no sign of illness, while Hinkleys water dosage of chromium 6 was a mere .58, and studies from EPA report that even a dosage of 400ppm, chromium VI has no toxic effect on the reproductive system in mice and rats.In the movie when Brockovich seeks professional scientific advice from a professor at a local college, the expert informs her that repeated exposure of chromium VI can be held responsible for liver failure, chronic headaches or nosebleeds, respiratory disease, heart failure, liver failure, reproductive failure, bone or organ deterioration and any type of cancer. Obviously this can not be accurate, considering that repeated studies of communities adjacent to landfills packed with chromium 6, including that detectable in residents urine, have found no ill health effects, cancer or otherwise, (Michael Fumento, Erin Brockovich Exposed).Residents near a New Jersey landfill evaluated by a panel are revealed to be at 1/1million risk of cancer. The expert in Erin Brockovich, however, describes the situation rather differently, that exposure to chromium 6 can cause ANY type of cancer, and after careful and accurate research and testings we can plainly conclude that these statements are incorrect according to science. Its (chromium 6) linked to cancer of the lung and of the septum, says Fumento in Erin Brockovich Exposed. Also, to contradict the expert from the film who infor ms Ms. Brockovich that chromium VI is extremely carcinogenic, EPA considers it a carcinogen only when inhaled, therefore its impossible for chromium 6 to be liable for the medical conditions of the people of Hinkley who have ingested the chromium in the water.Also, many, many testings on animals have been done to help research and discover the power and danger of chromium exposure. Testings show that malfunctions only come from inhalation of the chromium. Groups of eight male and eight female Sprague-Dawley rats were supplied with drinking water containing 0.45-11.2 ppm (0.45-11.2 mg/L) hexavalent chromium (as K2CrO4) for 1 year. The control group (10/sex) received distilled water..No significant adverse effects were seen in appearance, weight gain, or food consumption, and there were no pathologic changes in the blood or other tissues in any treatment group, this experiment shows that no harm came to the rats given a dosage over 10ppm, when in the movie the chromium 6 was supposedl y responsible for the medical conditions of residents exposed to a dosage of .58, a tiny fraction of what was used on these rats.A study also done by EPA showed that not even at a dosage of 400ppm did the hexavalent chromium is not a reproductive toxicant in either sex of BALB/C mice or Sprague-Dawley rats, (EPA, integrated risk information system). In the film Mrs. Jenson is reported to have breast cancer at an ingestional exposure of .58 and another couple blame their miscarriages on the chromium, compared to the ineffective exposure to the rat reproductive system at a whopping dosage of up to 400 ppm. Another study done by EPA shows that Similar no-effect levels have been observed in dogs. Anwar et al. (1961) observed no significant effects in female dogs (2/dose group) given up to 11.2 ppm chromium(VI) (as K2CrO4) in drinking water for 4 years. The calculated doses were 0.012-0.30 mg/kg of chromium(VI). Countless studies show that at a dosage of over 11 ppm (again compared to th e .58ppm in Hinkleys water) tested on animals show no level of effect.Next, throughout the movie many of the plaintiffs have blamed breast cancer, Hodgkins disease, brain cancer, heart failure, reproductive failure and more on the hexavalent chromium in Hinkleys water, there is no scientific proof that chromium VI causes any of the previously listed conditions. Stossel found that while chromium is indeed a carcinogen, blamed for lung and sinus cancer when inhaled, there is no proof that chromium in drinking water can cause cancer, (Stossel Questions Cancer Claims). Stossel also discovered that not only was there no proof that the chromium in the water caused cancer, but that compared to surrounding counties there was not an increased or abnormal amount of cancer in the town of Hinkley.Also, while the plaintiffs blamed the chromium in the water Fumento finds that no data were located in the available literature that suggested that (Chromium 6) is carcinogenic by the oral route of exp osure. (Michael Fumento, The Truth About Erin Brockovich'). Fumento raises a very good point concerning the death rate of PGE workers, the overall PG$E worker death rate was significantly much lower than those of other Californians.Are we to believe that something causing no harm at the plant itself is nonetheless wreaking havoc on those living nearby? (Michael Fumento, The Truth About Erin Brockovich'). This is something to take into consideration, not only is the death rate not either the same or higher at the PGE plant, but its significantly lower when compared to other Californians. If this is happening at the source of the chromium VI, then what is the reason and where is the proof that it is responsible for the illnesses that the plaintiffs in Hinkley claim? Another report given by the Monday Morning Briefing (Associate of Metropolitan Water Agencies) tells us that There is no evidence that hexavalent chromium causes cancer in humans when ingested in drinking water, according to an expert panel convened by the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).Study and report after report shows that there is no reason for hexavalent chromium to be blamed for most of the medical conditions in the film because there is no proof that this is so. The plaintiffs in Hinkley complain of being diagnosed with their illnesses through the chromium in the water, how can this be so when only a small amount can dissolve in water and move deeper in the soil to underground water, (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) and when it has already been made clear that there is no scientific proof that this substance causes cancer when ingested.

Eeo Unlawful Discrimination Essays

Eeo Unlawful Discrimination Essays Eeo Unlawful Discrimination Paper Eeo Unlawful Discrimination Paper Directions: The following  questions are regarding the topic of Equal Employment Opportunity. Use your states EEO website(s) in the resources section, conduct research to answer each question. Please use complete sentences; checking grammar, punctuation and spelling. (Minimum Word count: 100) 1: What is Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)? 2: What is unlawful discrimination? 3: Identify 4 types of unlawful discrimination and give a specific workplace example for each. 1. EEO: all employees should have equal opportunities in their workplaces. No unlawful discrimination and harassment providing programs to assist members of EEO groups to overcome past or present disadvantage Employers have responsibilities which employees should know the anti-discrimination laws and follow these laws Employees should have equal work opportunities by implementing particular equal opportunity management programs and plans designed. 2 . People may be treated unfairly because of the race, color, national or ethnic origin; sex, pregnancy or marital ; age; disability; religion; sexual preference; trade union activity; or some other characteristic specified under anti: Airline virgin blue claimed that the women whose ages were between 36 and 56 should sing and dance. The company prefers young girls to old ones, so the applications of older women were rejected. Alexander is deaf person. She is not invited because of her hearing loss. The employer believes her hearing loss may be an impediment to work. Sixteen Aboriginal women and their children had a travel in Alice Springs, they were asked to leave when they were checking in at the Haven hostel, because of the colour of their skin. These women and children bump against unfair treatment. Mr Walkingshaw was a male mechanic. He decided to go part-time and look after his son His employers did not look at his request to work part-time. It was not fair that he was treated differently from the women who asked for part-time work in the company. REFERENCE: What is EEO? eeo. nsw. gov. au/about_eeo, Date: 06/07/2011 lawlink. nsw. gov. au/lawlink/adb/ll_adb. nsf/vwPrint1/adb_eeo_affirmative_action What is discrimination and harassment? hreoc. gov. au/info_for_employers/what. html , Date:06/07/2011 www. hunanrights. gov. au. employers/ , Date: 06/07/ 011 Virgin blue loses age discrimination case theage. com. u/news/business/virgin-blue-loses-age-discrimination-case/2005/10/10/1128796447967. html, Date:06/07/2011 First successful claim of disability discrimination against a recruitment agency grumpyoldeafies. com/2008/05/recruitment_agency_disability. html, Date:06/07/2011 Australia: Racial discrimination in Alice hostel case galdu. org/web/index. php? odas=2696giella1=eng ,Date:07/07/2011 Male mechanic wins sex discrimination case, hrmguide. co. uk/diversity/male_mechanic. htm, Date:07/07/2011

The Nineteenth Century America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Nineteenth Century America - Essay Example In the year 1819 the Transcontinental Treaty proposed by the then American President John Quincy Adams was signed by the United States and Spain. This treaty reinforced the American belief of territorial expansion. The desire to spread towards the west increased when John Jacob Astor expanded his fur trade company to the Pacific Northwest. With trade expansions the legendary â€Å"mountain men† became popular as they were financially facilitated by the fur trade companies to move to other countries in search of profit. During the 1830s and 1840s the Americans expanded their territory westward towards the Pacific Ocean. Besides economic there were other reasons like avoiding religious persecution. Their attempt to establish American ideals into areas that fell into the boundaries of Mexico or Great Britain created diplomatic crisis. The phrase Manifest Destiny was coined in 1845. It manifested the American belief that God has given them the right to expand their territories bec ause of their growing population. The largest acquisition took place in 1803 when America acquired Louisiana territory for $15 million. With this America got control over Mississippi River and the size of the nation became double. America was greatly affected by the era of expansion. The territorial expansions resulted in dividing the nation by causing diplomatic crisis, war and internal conflicts. The economic expansion that took place internally increased class differences and America began to be recognised as a â€Å"land of opportunity and upward mobility† (Divine et.al, ch.8, 9, 13). II.Transportation Revolution During the first half of nineteenth century America experienced a growth in market economy. This was helped by development in the transportation sector which created an economic link between different parts of the nation and strengthened the national economy. It was the era of expansion in America when the nation expanded its territory towards the West. Most of the land in the east of Mississippi river became marketing centers to fulfill the needs of the farmers. There was a growing awareness among the political leaders regarding the need of connecting these distant areas with the rest of the nation through a well developed transport system. The initial focus was on developing the road network by building new highways and improving the older roads. Overland toll roads or turnpikes could not provide cheap transportation to cover long distances during bad weather because of their poor conditions. More economically efficient was the water transport. Many canals were constructed to estab lish links between the rivers Ohio and Mississippi as canals were cheaper to transport heavy agricultural goods than on poorly maintained roads and highways. The most important canal, the Erie Canal, was constructed in 1825. This canal helped in extending the commercial market to New York and this led to economic development in the region. There were also other improvements made on water transport. Steamboats became popular after they were invented in 1807 by Robert Fulton. (Divine et.al, ch.9) The growth of railroads in the 1840s and the 1850s reduced the importance of canals as primary means of freight transport. The expansion of the railroads helped the iron industry of America. It also facilitated financing of business sectors and paved the way for governments to provide land grants (Divine et.al, ch.13). III. Jackson presidential administrations During the 1820s and 1830s the concept of â€Å"self-made man† was celebrated in the political culture. It promoted the idea th at leaders of the