FILM REVIEW ASSIGNMENT

Rolando Salcedo 1

Film Review Assignment

It has been more than three decades since the Clean Water Act came into force but the
American waterways are still in a hazardous condition. They face the threat of newer sources of
contamination by effluents from industry and uncaring attitude of people. Chesapeake Bay and
Puget Sound are the live examples of the dangerous condition and state of affairs. The overflow
of polluted substances flowing into the rivers from industry, agriculture, and huge infrastructure
development continues unabated. The scientists have observed several new pollutants and toxins
released from our modern day living, into the drinking water. This poses a huge threat to wildlife,
fish and as a result, human health as well.
Several issues are examined by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Hedrick Smith in the
movie In Poisoned Waters. The matter at stake is the increasing hazards to human health and the
ecosystem in which living beings live in. the description by Smith is an eye-opener that reveals
the excess flow of storm water and agricultural waste from large chicken farms. The effluents
also include the chemicals released by the manufacturers of the Fast Moving Consumer Goods
(FMCG), such as face creams, deodorants, prescription medications and other commonly used
household cleaners. All these pose a threat to human health and damage the environment. The
movie warns the urgency of taking drastic steps by citizens as well as government action groups
so that the massive problem of water pollution is attended to immediately. The investigation of
Poisoned Waters has a far- reaching impact on the huge waterways in America and highlights the
peril they are in as of now. A new wave of pollution is spreading that is responsible for killing
fish and causes mutation in frogs and poses a big threat to human health.

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Rolando Salcedo 2

According to Jay Manning, the director of ecology for Washington State, We all are
responsible for creating pollution. It is the way we live and the lives we lead. Each one of us is
equally accountable for the mess that has been created, even if we claim to be good citizens and
show off as if we care for environment. This has been corroborated by Smith through several
interviews with scientists, environmental activists, corporate executive and average citizens who
are witnessing and experiencing the impact of the ever-increasing problem of pollution (Lawn
2000). The interviews reveal that the industrial polluters are not the only culprits. On the
contrary, it is the new age goods that we use, ranging from face creams, deodorants, household
cleaners and even prescription medicines that we claim to be harmless. All these find their way
into sewers, storm water drains and ultimately mix up in the waterways of America that are used
for supplying drinking water to millions of Americans.
It is the financial crisis and war on terrorism, which has engaged the attention of people
in general. In this melee, the issue of environment has got neglected. However, its importance
cannot be undermined as according to Smith, it is a ticking time bomb. He compares it to a
chronic cancerous growth that is slowly gnawing away the natural resources available at our
disposal for our everyday use. It is these resources, which are essential to our lives, which are
withering away by our own questionable actions.
The findings of Smith are authenticated by researchers from the U. S. Geological Survey
(USGS), who have confirmed that marine life in the Potomac River is genetically mutated. The
discovery of frogs with six legs and several other mutations such as male amphibians with
ovaries and female frogs with male genitalia are a mute witness of the harm caused by pollutants.
Research has proved that these mutations are most likely the result of exposure to endocrine
disruptors, a chemical compound that impersonates the bodys natural hormones. The similarity

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of the endocrine system of fish with the endocrine system of humans has confirmed that the
hormone system of humans is the same. The subsequent question that comes to mind is to study
the impact of this on public at large. The long term risk is spelt clearly in further studies based
on data collected. The research further raises questions about the health of more than two million
people who depend on the Washington Aqueduct for their requirements of drinking water.
According to Dr. Robert Lawrence of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, more than five
million people are being exposed to these endocrine disruptors in the Mid- Atlantic region alone.
When we stretch our imagination and include people in other regions, the picture looks much
scarier. These people are constantly under threat of being affected by premature breast cancer,
and are likely to have problems with reproduction, not to mention the congenital anomalies of
the male genitalia. At present, these abnormalities are at a low level but the day is not far off,
when they will spread and thus lead to alarm in the general public.
Further findings of Smith reveal that the biggest threat of pollution is from the unchecked
urban sprawl and extensive development of housing, commercial enterprises, which continuously
discharge contaminated storm water into rivers and bays, thus leading to pollution of drinking
water supplies. Scuba diver Mike Racine describes this spill off in to the depths of Seattles
Elliott Bay as a colored poisonous soup that is unbelievable. The worst part is the people only
look at the beautiful scene and think that everything is in order in Elliott Bay do not realize that a
mind boggling mess is being mixed into water, not very far from where they are at the moment.
While assessing the damage caused by the Americas polluted-water problem, Poisoned
Waters also highlights the work done by grassroots citizens groups. These groups, by way of
their constant follow up; have been successful in bringing about a change in the environment to a
large extent (Hanley et al 2009). For example, in South Park, Washington, affected residents

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forced for a better cleanup and minimize contamination that remained from an old asphalt plant.
Similarly, in Loudon County, Virginia, local residents averted the large scale housing
development that would have caused the already strained storm water system to choke up and
contribute to the contamination of Chesapeake Bay.
The concept of Coase Theorem states the economic efficiency is achieved best by full
allocation of alternate resources. In this case, one has to examine the cost of prevention of
contamination and weigh it against the externalities (Callan et al 2009). A producer of face cream
uses ingredients that are harmless. However, if in the process, he ends up releasing toxins in the
air or in storm water drains, then according to Coase Theorem, the externalities of producing face
cream are in play and the overall cost of production, to the society at large is high. It is also
important to consider the costs and benefits of environmental protection. There is a Ecological
vs. Neo-classical that vie for sustainability .what it basically means is that neoclassical
economics assumes that we are part of an world where the economics is just a small piece of the
overall ecosystem. In this neoclassical world, our actions are not restrained by the capacity of the
ecosystem because the ecosystem elements are not factored in while configuring it. Therefore, it
is assumed that we can grow uninterruptedly. However the boundaries of ecosystem are limited
by the physical laws of availability (Landsburg 2010). We can create only by what is available.
Our resources are limited and we have realistic. In our race to grow, we have to be realistic and
actively manage our scarce resources or face irreversible depletion of these resources. The
change has to take place in the way we live and use natural resources. It is important to take into
consideration the costs involved in preventing the mindless use of scarce resources and find out
alternate methods of using and disposing off the same.
References

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Lawn P.A. (2000) Toward Sustainable Development: An Ecological Economics Approach CRC
Press
Landsburg S. (2010) Price Theory and Applications Cengage Learning
Hanley N., Edward B. Barbier, Edward Barbier (2009) Pricing Nature: Cost-benefit Analysis
and Environmental Policy Edward Elgar Publishing
Callan S., Janet Thomas (2009) Environmental Economics and Management: Theory, Policy
and Applications Cengage Learning