In a posting on August 20, in response to my question "Is the idea of truth
so out of style as to be irrelevant, so that all that matters is perception
and moods? Does anyone care?",  Dr. Carl Levoguer said:

> Yes I do care. And I wholeheartedly agree that proper environmental impact
> studies need to undertaken - So WHY isn't anybody doing this?? My guess is
> because there are too many vested interests within the industry  and the
> 'truth' may be too unpalatable. The environmentalists don't need these
> specifics to justify their case since it is established that lead in the
> environment is harmful and it is possible (from the public point of view)
> to replace lead in electronics manufacture.
>
In spite of his claims to "care", Dr. Levoguer said nothing about my concern
for the truth. It seems clear that what he really cares about is the
environment, so much so that other concerns are subservient. It also seems
clear from the above that he (and I suspect many others like him) believes
that:

        1. It is the responsibility of industry (as some sort of monolithic
entity) to conduct environmental impact studies not just on proposed new
uses of materials but on materials that have long been in use.
        2. The likely reason that such studies (including investigating the
environmental impact of discarded electronics) have not been carried out is
that industry has nothing to gain and everything to lose.
        3. Lead in the environment (in whatever form) has already been shown
to be "harmful".
        4. Hence it is unnecessary for environmentalists to substantiate
their claims that a perceived hazard is really a hazard. An
environmentalist's allegation, perception, mood, intuition, or belief that a
substance is a hazard is sufficient to create a moral obligation on the part
of people who have been using it to spend whatever amount of money it takes
to stop using it (no cost/benefit analysis needed).

Here is my response to these beliefs:

1.  If an environmentalist thinks he has reason to believe that a given
substance that has long been in use is a threat to the environment, let him
present his data, not his allegations and generalizations. If the case is
convincing, there are lots of organizations that will be willing to fund
further study. People have been discarding electronics for generations. So
where are the high lead counts in drinking water? Where are the victims?
2. The likely reason that environmental impact studies of disposal of
electronics have not been carried out (or are not being publicized) is that
the impact (i.e., lead and other hazardous elements in drinking water) is
too small to measure, and the environmentalists know it - an "unpalatable
truth".
3. Lead in paint and lead in gasoline have been found to cause health
problems. (I share Werner's suspicions about lead in plumbing solder.) To
ban all lead because of these findings is a case of guilt by association and
a gross overreaction. Gasoline causes health problems, too, and it is
obviously dangerous - how long will it be before environmentalists start
demanding that it be banned? This kind of thinking is, to put it bluntly,
simplistic and irresponsible. Who holds environmenalists accountable for
what they say and do? Are good intentions (saving the world from
industrialists) sufficient?
4. In spite of his claim, since he has said that environmentalists don't
need specifics, Dr. Levoguer doesn't really care whether an environmental
impact study is undertaken or not, because he (and they) they have already
made up their minds and would not be influenced should its findings not
match their beliefs. They just want manufacturers to stop using the items
they have labeled as hazardous, regardless of the costs (monetary and
performance) that they (the manufacturers, not the environmentalists) incur.
In short, their position seems to be "don't ask why, just figure out how."

I hope Dr. Levoguer keeps posting to the forum. His posts are giving me a
real insight into a mode of thinking that is quite unfamiliar to me.

Gordon Davy
Northrop Grumman ESSS
Baltimore, MD
[log in to unmask]
410-993-7399
The author's views expressed here are not necessarily those of his employer.

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