Discussion of ‘A quest to locate sites described in the world's first publication on trichloroethene contamination of groundwater’ by M. O. Rivett &amp; L. Clark,
            <i>Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology</i>
            ,
            <b>40</b>
            , 241–249

Amter, Steven; Ross, B. B.

doi:10.1144/1470-9236/08-021

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Nevertheless, contemporaneous knowledge and methods proved sufficient to report a contamination incident in a prominent and respected publication. A hearty discussion of this incident has emerged in recent years, and contrary points of view tend to fall on either side of the presentism or historical approaches (Travis 1998;Rivett et al 2006;Amter and Ross 2013)-intellectual disruption persists in the technical literature. The post-hoc analyses that suggest current standards should apply to past actions attempt to obscure historical knowledge and technical analytical capabilities.…”

Section: Obscuring the Toxic Legacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting Definitions of Hazardous Wastes

Colten

2020

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This paper addresses the emergence of concern with hazardous wastes and the legal liabilities attached to them long before the first federal legislation in the U.S. explicitly using the term; a simultaneous search for marketable by-products during the first three quarters of the twentieth century as a means to decrease the volume of wastes while also diminishing the perceived threat; and the eventual adoption of a legal tactic that asserted absence of liability before formal federal definitions of hazardous wastes. Based on a review of industry and waste management literature, it exposes deliberate efforts on the part of major industry trade organizations to dampen public calls for litigation by making the case that wastes were manageable, recoverable, and non-threatening. These steps sought to offset potential disruptions to their operations by imposing additional costs on waste treatment. When federal legislation became a reality in the 1970s, defenders of industrial practices that created hundreds of hazardous waste sites made the arguments that hazardous properties of wastes were unknown at the time of their disposal. The litigation that swirled around the federal laws proved disruptive and reflect a issue delayed not eliminated.

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Section: Obscuring the Toxic Legacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting Definitions of Hazardous Wastes

Colten

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Discussion of ‘A quest to locate sites described in the world's first publication on trichloroethene contamination of groundwater’ by M. O. Rivett & L. Clark, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology , 40 , 241–249

Cited by 1 publication

References 5 publications

Shifting Definitions of Hazardous Wastes

Shifting Definitions of Hazardous Wastes

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