Ethics and Leaded Gas
This is a comparative study based on articles written in the New York Times and The Nation regarding the manufacture of Monokote by the W. R. Grace Corporation and tetraethyl lead (TEL) by the Ethyl Corporation. Although dissimilar products, they used similar business strategies to promote their product's use. While the economic reasons for the production of their products satisfied a "need" and provided substantial "profit", each company and their supporting industries implemented business strategies which put the public health at risk. One business strategy, named the Kehoe Rule, was successfully applied to preserve the self-interests of these two U. S. companies. Consequently, the public's health has been kept at risk for the Kehoe Rule remains a viable business strategy today. More importantly, our expanding world economy magnifies the issues concerning public health. As the automotive industry developed in the early 1900s several events took place creating "leaded gasoline". Initially alcohol was the fuel of choice. It was known to produce high engine compression (power) with the benefits of being a renewable resource, non-toxic, and emitting no smoke or disagreeable od
Their corporate council advised that it was "unlikely bona fide cases of personal harm could be well documented considering the pattern of use and exposure levels. Today the EPA is re-examining its 1% threshold for asbestos and OSHA has adopted the 100,000-fiber limit based on mathematical models extrapolated from known risks at higher levels. (1) To Grace this contamination was insignificant as the new product contained less than 1% asbestos, compared with 12% in its old product. However, Grace did decide to advise the government of the contamination. , however, the health consequences in the Third World countries are being ignored by both industries. Most importantly the legality in burden of proof was not placed on the company, but on the public at risk. "(7) This information along with further evidence successfully demonstrated the health hazard posed by the product and ultimately lead to the phase out of leaded-gasoline in the United States beginning in the 1970s. Grace's Disgrace by Patricia Panchak, August 13, 2001http://www. In 1977 its executives secretly met to weight the risk of disclosing the asbestos content in Monokote. "(7) By using the "practice of perpetual obfuscating scientific date," Dr.
Common topics in this essay:
Kehoe Rule,
Dr Smith's,
Grace Corporation,
TEL Monokote,
Wall Street,
Kehoe Rule's,
Silent Treatment,
Third World,
Monokote Grace,
Motor's Cadillac,
kehoe rule,
lead industry,
health risk,
tetraethyl lead,
grace corporation,
monokote grace,
safe level,
fireproofing spray,
public's health,
public health,
grace stayed course,
tetraethyl lead tel,
grace claimed tremolite,
health risk associated,
dr smith's research,
|