Union Carbide: Expert Testimony on Waste Disposal

Ciba and Union Carbide were dye manufacturers. Their industrial process was so “inefficient that making brown vat dye, required five and a half pounds of raw material to produce of pond of finished dye, with all the remainder discarded as waste” (Fagin, 2). The companies used three methods to dispose of their waste n Toms River. One of these ways was dumping the liquid and solid waste into the river, pouring it on the ground, and burying it on the ground. These three methods of disposing of waste were not so effective since the waste materials that were being disposed of off found their way into the wells where people from Toms River were drawing their water from. One of the sites where waste materials from Ciba and Union were being disposed of is the Reich Farm. Reich used to be a poultry farm before it was abandoned. An independent trucker who had been contracted by the company to manage its waste products drained 4,500 drums of waste from Bound Brook plant owned by Union Carbide Corp.“Thousands of toxic chemicals splashed directly onto the farm’s sandy soil, with no barrier to prevent them from seeping down into the groundwater…” (Fagin, 35) aquifer where most people were getting their water from. This method was chosen by the independent contractor because the owners were charging him less to compost his waste there. Composting involves draining waste and allowing it to be accumulated in a pit for some time, mostly, a long period of time. The method is used for disposing of organic waste material, and sewage sludges. And yard wastes, not the hazardous waste that was disposed of at Tom’s River. The organic waste is allowed to sit in one place for a long period of time until such a time when the microbes completely decompose it. Another method of composting is called windrow composting. For this, contaminated soil is excavated from the ground, and manure and other agricultural waste are added and arranged in long piles known as windrows. It is then mixed thoroughly with a composting machine. After the composting period is over, the waste is then taken to the final disposal point. This method was however not suitable for the Reich Farm because the farm contained sandy soil which is highly porous and affluent and can easily pass through it to the groundwater hence causing contamination. Composting method of waste disposal is effective for biodegradable and organic waste materials and not toxic industrial waste that contained TCE and other carcinogens, chemicals when consumed in the human body for a long period of time can cause cancer and other health defects. Another method of waste disposal by Ciba Geigy was dumping the waste directly into Toms River. Dumping involves draining waste materials from industries and factories into rivers and oceans. For a company to be allowed to dump its effluents in the ocean, they need to get a permit from the government to certify that its waste products are not harmful. Companies need to treat their waste to be less hazardous before they can dispose of it in any water body so that it does not affect the marine and human lives that depend on that water body negatively. Toms's River corporations, drained their hazardous carcinogens form the Ciba Geigy and Union Carbide. The company chose this method of waste disposal because it was less costly and the river used to drain into the Ocean so they thought human life would not be affected. It also settled on this method because it was set up near the river banks and so it was easy for the company to drain its waste in the river. This method, just like the rest was not effective since the town wells and the river shared a common basin meaning, the carcinogens from the chemicals dumped into the river were bound to get into the water being consumed by the people of Toms River. Union Carbide used the burying method of waste disposal for its industrial waste. Burying involves placing waste products in a man-made landfill or pit. Before chemicals are buried, the chemical composition is first determined to make sure that it does not contain chemicals that may cause air and water contamination. The dumping site is lined with a material that ensures that waste materials do not come into contact with groundwater. At the end of the dumping cycle, the waste is covered using an inert cover material or clean soil to avoid runoff or water pollution. Union Carbide chose this method of waste disposal for its cost-effective nature as it does not require the waste to be transported away from the site. This method of waste disposal was not effective because the waste products being disposed of contained tetrachloroethylene, benzene, trichloroethylene, and chloroform. All these carcinogens found their way into a ground aquifer that drains into Toms River, causing water pollution. (Fagin, 53). 

I would not have used any of these methods of waste disposal knowing that the waste from the dye company contained carcinogens capable of causing cancer. Carcinogens are radioactive agents found in wastes and other chemicals that if not controlled can cause cancer in human beings. Draining untreated waste from industries directly into a river causes water pollution. Dumping and burying waste products in an unlined pit without adding amendments that can treat it also causes soil pollution. These two methods can also lead to groundwater contamination if the soil is porous enough as in the case of Reich farm where the soil was sandy which made waste penetration easy. I would go for a better waste disposal method and not the crude method of releasing unidentified waste into water bodies that human beings are bound to use. Disposing of hazardous waste materials inappropriately causes pollution and other hazards. Companies that have waste products that contain hazardous chemicals with carcinogens should be disposed of in a carefully controlled manner. 

Reference  

Fagin, Dan. (2015). Tom's River: A Story of Science and Salvation. Washington, DC: Island.