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Politics : Mainstream Politics and Economics -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Broken_Clock who wrote (50208)	8/4/2013 2:10:12 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 85487

That's the way "unregulated" capitalism works. Its good you put it in quotes, because there pretty much is no unregulated capitalism. In a sense black markets are, but not really since making a product illegal in the first place is a pretty massive regulation. As for the dust, I don't know much about it, but the information from your own source makes it seem like a pretty normal industrial accident, involving material that isn't highly toxic (which is not to say that its of no concern, fine particles in the lungs, and small amounts of some materials in the pile may be problematic). "A company spokesman told the Windsor Star that the dust cloud was caused by high winds that blew in just as inventory was being loaded onto a ship. The company uses an epoxy seal to contain the dust, but the seal has to be broken to load the material onto the vessel, he said." ... "Brad Wurfel, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), said pet coke, which is nearly pure carbon, is non-toxic. But MDEQ has long had concerns about the impact of “fugitive dust in the air” unleashed when the product is loaded onto barges." thestar.com and from other sources Inhalation:"Excessive dust from powdered material (>5 mg/kg) may cause mild respiratory irritation. Ingestion:Not likely to be toxic by ingestion. Skin contact:None expected from acute exposur Eye contact:Inhalation: Dust may be a mechanical irritant.' What any of this has to do with "unregulated" is beyond me, as does the question of what "unregulated" itself has to do with anything as such a circumstance pretty much doesn't exist, and I'm not calling for it. And apparently it wasn't dumping of waste as it seems that petroleum coke is a commodity of some value, not waste. It can be used as a fuel and for other purposes. It wasn't dumped, it was stored and then moved on. Its a bit like a gasoline leak, except gasoline is apparently more toxic.