It all happened in Ohio when a big motive for environmental change was called for. The Cuyahoga River, centralized in a production city where almost always was dumped on with sewage and waste disposal was becoming a problem. It became known for being a polluted river, time went by without anyone knowing its consequences until the flames came out. It occurred on June 22, 1969, when an oil-slicked debris was ignited by sparks from a passing train. It immediately burst into tall flames reaching a height of over five stories and lasting over 30 minutes. All the destruction made was estimated to being around $50,000 including damages to other parts like a railway bridge and trestle. This fire brought mass attention to change especially regulations since it had turned out to be one of the many fires occurring from this river. The Congress decided to step in once hearing about the news and helped in solving the issue of land pollution. They helped in passing the National Environmental Policy Act. From which the Environmental Protection Agency was created and would focus on managing environmental risks and regulate sanitary policies. The EPA then moved on to pass the Clean Water Act, that mandated all rivers throughout the U.S to be hygienic enough for the safety of swimmers and fish. Overall, the Cuyahoga River brought a lot of awareness for positive change and opened up the doors for better water quality and control of pollution.
Incidents like these caused for some major reforms in the laws that were in place at the time for dumping waste. The government had to really start enforcing rules and regulations on disposal of used materials. These incidents also, however, displaced many people from their homes and forced them to move and/or find new employment.
ReplyDeleteThis is crucial today in all of the laws we see restricting pollution and waste dumping, in an effort to ensure public health. This was the first time people began to notice the significant harm that pollution could cause to people. Other types of pollution, especially in more populated cities like Detroit, were especially harmful to people.
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