Manufacturing uses all kinds of chemicals of a composition that is not as controlled as you might think. Under normal circumstances, these products don’t cause (too) many problems, but in a fire, they generate particularly toxic fumes, known as “urban fumes”, as we saw recently with the Los Angeles fires. Residents are instructed to stay indoors, even though many of their bosses expect to see them on the floor at all costs.
The workers most exposed to these toxic fumes are firefighters, who have a high risk of developing and dying from cancer (14 per cent higher than the general population). Their firefighting suits, which are supposed to protect them against this, turn out to be the worst poison they could possibly be exposed to, due to the presence of PFAS (“eternal pollutants”) in the inner fabric.
Under capitalism, all kinds of molecules are used in a frenzy at low cost, with little regard for the damage they cause. We could take comfort in the fact that laws exist to regulate them, but the legislative machine is too slow to keep pace, and it usually takes a health scandal to catch up. But even if laws are in place, they can be circumvented by capitalists, as seen at the Horne foundry, in Rouyn-Noranda where the smelter was exposing residents to toxic chemicals for years.
Science and technology give immense power to a handful of vultures who think only of their own short-term interests. Our survival and the preservation of the environment demand that we place these industries (petro-chemical, mining, etc.) under the reasoned control of the working class, the only class that can make the common good a priority.
I’m reminded of Rabelais’s words: “Science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul”, but it would be better to say “Science without class conscience is but total destruction assured”.
-Charlotte B, Montreal
