(Solved): please amswer the questions given at the end M aking cars produces a steady stream of toxic liquids ...

M aking cars produces a steady stream of toxic liquids and solids, and dur- ing the 1960s and early 1970s Ford Motor Company dumped tons of its Mahwah factory wastes on a wooded hilly 500 acre area of Ringwood, N.J., including unused paints, sol- vents, paint thinners, battery acids, and other chemicals. It was legal to dump wastes on bare land then, and Ford owned the wooded area. The colorful sludge, which contained benzene, lead, arsenic, antimony, xylenes, and other poison- ous substances-some carcinogenic, like chro- mium which causes nosebleeds-was dumped on what locals call "Sludge Hill." The slippery goo attracted local children who played with it and often came home with bad nosebleeds. A resident, Wayne Mann, said in 2009: "I was one of those children who used to go up on Sludge Hil? I would take a car hood and ride down, hand steering in the wet sludge. You paint your face. You lick it, whatever." Many residents, including Mann, are sick. Some have already died of can- cer. Adults and children suffer mysterious rashes, rare blood disorders, cancers, asthma, and other unusual diseases. The 600 people living in the area think the toxic sludge caused their illnesses and that too many are sick or dying to blame the sicknesses on chance. The area is populated by Ramapough, an impoverished Indian group who say they are victims of environmental injustice. Although Ford admits they dumped the chemicals, John Holt, a company spokesperson, said in 2009 that the chemicals did not cause the sicknesses: "They've found no higher incidence of Tancer or anything else here besides lung can- cer." Moreover, he points out, Ford spent ten years cleaning up the site and in 1994, the U.S. Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmen- tal Protection certified Ford did an adequate job. But in 2006, when the EPA checked the site again, they decided they made a mistake in 1994, rel- isted the site as contaminated, and Ford launched another clean-up which continues to this day. Pointing to the woods, in 2009 John Holt said, "This site was done and excavated and restored to its natural state ... according to the requirements of the state of New Jersey and the EPA." But Fed- eral officials said much of the sludge remains. A state official said "Ford made false or mislead- ing submissions to federal regulators" about ear- lier clean-ups. Federal officials have also reported that lung cancer rates are significantly higher than normal in the area. Bladder cancer and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma rates are also elevated but their numbers are too small to rule out coinci- dence. Statistics do not show cause-and-effect, so there is no way to know for sure what caused the diseases. Rain has now carried the chemicals into streams, rivers, and underground. They have also entered the local food chain. As of 2011, Ford had not completed the cleanup begun in 2006, although it had hauled out 50,000 more tons of the sludge. Much of the sludge had been poured into deep underground caves that are almost impossible to access. 1. Should Ford be held responsible for the sicknesses of the residents? Check the videos at http://www.northjersey.com/ specialreports/ringwood5yearslater.html and at http://toxiclegacy.northjersey. com. Do the videos suggest the contami- nation should concern you? What would the various forms of environmental ethics described in this chapter say about Ford's actions?