Entry #8: Major Pollutors

     As a society, we are consumers.  We buy things, use them up until we don't want them anymore, and then eventually dispose of them.  The question is however, where does all the waste that we have produced go??  Well, it ends up being transported to landfills.  The worst part is that toxic materials have to be disposed of as well, whether they come from factories, or health care industries disposing of hazardous materials.  These materials end up going back into the world in which we live.  We are, in essence, creating harmful, toxic wastes in order to produce the consumable items we so desire, and then putting this waste back into the Earth, creating negative impacts to the environment, and to all of those people who live in the vicinity of the waste disposal area.  I don't believe there is a true solution to disposing of toxic materials so they do not harm the environment or impact the health of the people in the nearby area, but there are several things that could be helpful.  Firstly, incineration of materials can be quite dangerous.  Even though it alleviates the build up of garbage, it can have far worse consequences.  When items are incinerated, the smoke will enter the air, and many times this smoke contains harmful chemicals.  These chemicals are being introduced into the air in which we breathe, a horrible concept to even consider.  To stop the incineration of certain toxic wastes would be a good way to lessen their negative impact.
       We have to try as hard as possible to keep toxic wastes separated from other ordinary waste.  By quarantining it and placing it in areas that are not in close proximity to human beings, we can try to decrease its destructiveness.  No matter what though, the environment will still be impacted by this.  I also believe that people who live in poorer neighborhoods are most definitely subjected to noxious industries more than those in rich neighborhoods.  People pay money so they can live in gated communities, and don't have to see the horrible side to the world in which we live.  Their garbage is placed out on the street, picked up by a garbage truck, and is never seen again.  There are no factories down the street polluting the air with smokestacks; there are community parks instead.  Unfortunately, the horrible aspects still exist; they are just hidden from the sight of those who have enough income in order to afford a blindfold, and are instead relocated to areas where people who don't have enough money to leave are exposed to the noxious industries and wastes instead.
        According to the website, http://www.scorecard.org/ , the top five polluters that are in my zip code are Munters Corp. in Ft. Myers, Precision Econowind Inc. in North Ft. Myers, KCS Intl. Shamrock Div. in Cape Coral, Action Craft in Cape Coral, and Polymer Casting (DBA Corinthian Marble) in Fort Myers.  The top polluter is Munters Corp. and what is extremely shocking is that out of the top eight polluters, they are releasing more than twice the amount of waste of the other seven combined.  Munters Corp. is releasing 159,572 pounds of waste, while the second highest, Precision Econowind Inc. is releasing  22,202 pounds of waste.  Munters Corp. is releasing methanol, formaldehyde, phenol, toluene, and methyl ethyl ketone into the air.  From their main website, http://www.munters.com/en/Munters-Corporate-Home/About-Munters/ , it was determined that Munters specializes in the creation of optimized indoor climate solutions that are energy efficient.  It surprised me to look at the website and read about them producing products that are energy efficient, and know that they are the biggest polluter of the environment, (through releases of pollutants into the air) by far in the area I live in.