449
Preventing and Reducing
Harm from Toxics
As we learn more about the harmful effects of toxic chemicals on our health
and our environment, more and more people are organizing to prevent harm
and to find healthier and more sustainable ways of producing things.
Business owners, government leaders, and some scientists try to justify the
dangers of toxic pollution by saying that a certain amount of risk is acceptable
as the price of development and progress (so we can have electricity, medical
care, transportation, computers, and so on). But what they do not tell us is that
it is possible to have these benefits in ways that are safer for people and for the
environment (see page 458). Rather than accepting unnecessary risks, we can
choose to promote safer production of food, manufactured goods, and energy
while still preventing toxic pollution as much as possible.