ECON371/UBCO2024WT1/NewsWiki/group1week1
Source
https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/06/06/pfas-levels-cape-islands-massachusetts-health
Problem
The environmental problem is PFAS exposure in communities is causing both health issues as well as polluting the surrounding environment with toxic substances. PFAS is part of a family of chemicals more commonly known as 'Forever Chemicals' they were created to resist almost everything causing destruction to be almost impossible.
Summary
This article touches upon the global issue of what is considered "forever chemicals", or PFAS chemicals. The prevalent issue that is detailed in this article concerns the potentially dangerous health issues that the PFAS have, with a detailed view of a town in Massachusetts being a focal point due to the elevated amount of PFAS in the community. This article helps us understand where PFAS come from and how they get into our water supply and as such into our bodies, while trying to connect how PFAS affect the the population in the long run. This is done through studies funded at the federal level (CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for example) as this is an issue that potentially affects communities worldwide. The results of these studies are limited at this time when it comes to the potential future health risks, as much is still unknown when it comes to the extent of PFAS. There are many studies being done in order to expand the information on forever chemicals, such as the one done in this article in Hyannis, Massachusetts, while potential options to avoid PFAS are to avoid items that have a resistant promise (example in the article was oil, water-resistant items).
This article was written by WBUR, which is a non-profit news organization based in Boston.
Economic concepts
- Externalities: An externality is a cost or benefit that affects a third party who did not choose to be affected by it. It occurs when the actions of someone impact others without those impacts being reflected in the market. Externalities can be either negative, like pollution, or positive, like the benefits of education.
- Regulation: Regulation is the idea of taxing or banning practices. In this case, rather than monetary taxes, the cost comes in the form of regulatory measures to limit exposure, remove contamination, and monitor health outcomes, similar to how carbon taxes aim to reduce emissions.
Application of concepts
- In the case of PFAS contamination in Hyannis, the firefighter training academy that used PFAS chemicals created a negative externality. The harmful effects of PFAS exposure, such as health problems for residents, were not factored into their decisions. As a result, the cost of the contamination like medical expenses and reduced quality of life is the burden of society, rather than the producers of the chemicals. Contamination can lead to serious health issues such as high cholesterol, thyroid disease, and even cancer. In some cases, the organizations responsible for the pollution have paid large fines for damages, but this has only happened a handful of times.
- In this case, regulation is used to protect a public good, clean drinking water with low to no amounts of PFAS. This would prevent or significantly reduce the chance of the undesired side effects PFAS cause, such as increased cholesterol and risk of obesity. The regulation came from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which needed to enforce a limit on how much PFAS could be in drinking water. While PFAS is used in multiple household objects, such as nonstick skillets, makeup, carpeting and curtains, it is arguable that the cost of the health risks PFAS causes outweighs the benefits of using them.
Prof: As we discussed later in the course, there is a question around the efficiency of standards. The regulation you refer to is basically a standard.
Conclusion
The PFAS contamination issue in Hyannis shows the dangers of ignoring externalities, especially when the pollutants in question have long-lasting impacts. While regulations have been increasingly coming, measures need to be taken to reduce further exposure. The lasting effects on the population and the lack of accountability for the responsible parties show the need for higher regulations and action to combat externalities occurring.