WEEK 13 Clean technology

The articles "Love Canal" and "Dark Side of the Chip" each show just how technologies have "dark sides." While technologies can have great things about them, more often than not they'll also be plagued with some sort of negative aspects. Some of the dark sides include when people become more involved with technology advanced careers or even live somewhere near where great technological devices are being used, there can be some serious health problems caused by the new technology. This is greatly displayed with the story of the Love canal which is located by the Niagara Falls. A chemical waste company continuously dumped harmful chemicals into Love Canal. These toxins eventually spread to a suburban neighborhood. The land was eventually sold very cheaply, and the dump site was thinly covered by a small layer of grass and clay. Then a playground, a school, and several homes were built on the land. The chemical ridden dump site created black tar, irritated feet, lead to Urinary Tract Infections, and some children even became ill with cancer. The residents had no idea what was going on as they did not know the harmful past of the Love Canal area. The residents eventually put up a fence around the area and declared it hazardous, all while moving the people out of the area. They then covered the area, created a barrier to the toxic waste, and even demolished the schools and homes. These harmful toxins can completely ruin an area and the people inhabiting the area. On Scorecard. org I entered by Mesa Zipcode of 85210. Mesa came in the last 20 percent or even 10 percent as far as the unhealthiest zones. Mesa carries a very high cancer risk as well as a very high environmental release and air and water release by toxins. Some of the highest toxins being released in Mesa are ammonia, copper and methanol. I had always known about the chemical risks about living in Mesa, such as the fear of drinking the tap water, but this puts things in a whole other perspective. It's not only shocking but yet pretty frightening to know that we can eat healthy, workout, and live productive healthy lives but things that we have no control over, such as toxin release, can still be slowly killing us. It's bad enough that living in Arizona automatically puts you at risk for skin cancer, blindness, and asthma but to have to worry about harmful toxins is just another added stress. This just goes to show that technology definitely does have dark sides. Even though technologies are created to help advance our communitites and society, they do carry some evils with them. Mesa and the Maricopa county in general are prime examples of this. Even though Mesa and Maricopa county have gone through great technological progress through the past few years and decades, it is also plain to see that much of the community is actually suffering covertly because of these same technology advancements. It just makes you think about what else you have to worry about in life while living in Arizona. As if rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, and scorpions weren't enough.