Wendy Nelson_Love Canal Report//Utah Air Quality

Wendy Nelson_ HLTH 100
Love Canal Report//Utah Air Quality

For a modern day environmental tragedy, I decided to get really close to home and really recent—with Utah Air Quality. Surely, submitting entire communities to an air particulate count that is relatable to 24/7 second-hand smoke is an environmental disaster. This year marks the worst air quality Utah has ever experienced. http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/central/provo/utah-sweeps-top-five-cities-with-filthy-air-provo-no/article_0de95e44-fdab-5e70-9f63-04332d37afcf.html

Collected Comments/Reactions- 
("Why should we care about something that happened over 30 years ago?")
1. “We should care about what happened in the past because it affects us today. Even though it happened over 30 years ago, the aftermath still affects us. We need to be aware so we can know how to act if the same problem occurs again.”
2. “So that we don't make the same mistake again.”
3. “Two rows of teeth! Oh man! [Referring to the Love Canal Tragedy]  That’s a reason to care. I appreciate good dentistry. Let’s not repeat history.”
4. “Like the BoM says: we learn about the past so we don't make the same mistakes. Instead we learn from the past so we don't repeat it.”
5. “The reason why this matters is that in the love canal tragedy, it's not like the toxic waste was uknown. The land was sold with high liability, and developed with risks in mind. ‘Ten years after the incident, New York State Health Department Commissioner David Axelrod (not to be confused with presidential advisor David Axelrod) stated that Love Canal would long be remembered as a “national symbol of a failure to exercise a sense of concern for future generations.”’ Right now in Utah, we know full well how bad our air quality is, however because of finances AND political agendas the problem remains the same. We will soon l wake up to find a ‘shocking’ aftermath quite similar to what we found 30 years ago.”
6. “Well, if you compare air quality to floating barrels of toxic waste, then yeah, that’s pretty bad.”
7. “Take care of the bad air quality NOW so it won’t adversely affect children/communities in the future.”
8. “The comparison is important. Sometimes we just think that people won’t let bad things happen to other people. Well, history says they do—often just out of neglect.”
9. “Sometimes I think we forget that pollution isn’t just something that affects turtles and seagulls on the beaches. Pollution affects people too. Disasters like The Love Canal Tragedy and Utah Air Quality reminds us of that. That’s why we should care about something that happened over thirty years ago.”
10. “24/7 second-hand smoke? That’s gotta be against the Word of Wisdom. Toxic waste probably is too. The past builds the future! Or, maybe the present builds the future. We can change from the past.”

My Responses-
1. “Why should we care about something that happened over 30 years ago?”
> The Love Canal Tragedy was recognized in 1979, when toxic waste caused the evacuation of an entire community. Past examples like the Love Canal Tragedy remind us that humans can let bad things happen to other humans, sometimes through simple neglect of an issue. If we don’t want to become “a national symbol of a failure to exercise a sense of concern for future generations,” we need to clean up our act and air.
2. “In your opinion, are environmental disasters something we should be concerned about on a daily basis?”
>Yes, we should care. Overall outcomes are made by daily actions. The caskets of carcinogenic waste did not just pop out of the ground one day. They were buried first. And before that, they were the byproducts of an economical production. We like economy. How can we balance economy and health?
3. “Do you believe that environmental crises such as this affect you/your family today?”
>Well, we’re not seeing the birth defects yet, but yes, I live in Utah. Fall-Winter inversions trap the toxic air in our happy valleys, creating an environment subjected to relative 24/7 second-hand smoke. This issue is increasingly becoming recognized as an environmental disaster, occurring in our own community.