I have six questions from my science course, I will provide the power point of the chapters you need for the question, and you only need to read it, and write one paragraph answer for each one.
viena1992
chapter_15_technology_and_risk.pptxTechnology and Risk
Chapter 15
Technology and Risk
Technology is the application of scientific knowledge and methods to the solution of societal problems
We tend to think of technology as a positive force for improving our lives and the world
However, no technology is without some degree of risk and/or cost
If it is believed that the benefits to be gained from the use of technology will far outweigh any minimal risk, the decision to proceed with the technology’s development and application is an obvious one.
X-Rays
X-rays were discovered in the 1890 and the human skeleton could now be view without cutting the skin
In the 1950s, this technology was used in shoes stores to see if shoes properly fit
It was at this time that is was discovered that x-rays could also damage human cells and was promptly banned except for medical use
Radium
From 1917-1927, the US Radium Corporation hired workers to paint radium-lighted watches and instruments which would glow in the dark
Many of the painters subsequently died due to radiation sickness, as they used their mouths to form a point on the radium tainted brushes
In NYC the Radium Dial Company is now a 1/3 acre lot in Queens contaminated with 226 radon, and gamma ray emissions. It sits within a 3-mile radius of over 300,000 residents and only 10 feet from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
In 1989 the EPA determined that the site “poses a significant treat to human health and the environment”
Chlorinating Water Supplies
In underdeveloped countries throughout the world one primary causes of disease and death is bacteria-borne illness due to contamination of public drinking supplies with sewage
According to the World Health Organization, water-borne disease is responsible for approximately 5 million deaths a year, or over 13,000 deaths every day, in developing countries
Developed countries protect against such water-borne illnesses by upgrading both the water delivery supply and sewage disposal system
According to the Chlorine Chemical Council, the chlorination of public water supply and the resulting elimination of disease-causing microorganisms have played a key role in increasing the American citizens’ life expectancy from 45 years in 1900 to about 76 years today
Research in the early 1970s began to provide evidence that in addition to its germicidal effects, chlorine in municipal water systems also combine chemically with organic molecules in the water to form disinfection by-products or DBPs
The known DBPs are suspected carcinogens or teratogens
But, in Albany NY prior to the turn of the century the death rate from water-borne typhoid was 110 per 100,000 of the total population
When water filtration technology was added in 1900, the death rate dropped to 20 per 100,000
After the addition of chlorination the death rate dropped to zero and has remained there ever since
The concentration of chlorine is carefully regulated and the EPA regulates limits of human exposure to DBPs
Cooking Steaks
The bacterial contamination of our food supply is inevitable and presents another route for the transmission of disease and death
Every year approximately 30 million Americans become ill due to contaminated food, with up to 9,000 actually dying
By cooking our food at high temperatures, particularly meat, we can kill all or a majority of bacteria that may contaminate it
But by heating meat to these high temperatures, amino acids molecules in protein produces byproducts known as heterocyclic amines (HCA) and these have been shown to cause a variety of cancers.
But the risk of morbidity or mortality due to food borne illness is MUCH higher than the minimal risk of inducing cancer through the presence of HCAs
Irradiation of Food
Irradiation of food by gamma rays or electron beams, within a shielded facility, kills most harmful bacteria, insects, and parasites
The FDA has approved irradiation of a variety of foods including, meats, poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables, and spices.
The changes produced by irradiation may cause the loss of some nutrients but no more than other processing methods
Sources of Technological Risks
No system or component is infallible or unerring
The risk of some unfavorable or detrimental event occurring as the result of a technological application can be attributed to one or any combination of the following sources
Hardware factors
Human factors
Organizational factors
External social factors
Hardware Factors
Physical failure of the technology or one of its component parts - equipment failure
Space shuttle Challenger – faulty O-rings that seal the gaps between rocket sections
TWA flight 800 blew up off coast of Long Island in 1996 due to poor design of the center fuel tank
Human Factors
Human factors refer to people related sources of risk
Three mile island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was damaged due to “operator error”, the operator misinterpreted several control readings and failed to open critical valves
This accident initially involved hardware factors, but the operator failed to realize the extent of the problem for at least two and a half hours
Organizational Factors
Source of risk related to operational and regulatory portions of the system
The space ship challenger disaster was not completely due to faulty O-rings but to the organizational structure of NASA
Knowing that the rubber of O-rings were subject to losing their flexibility at cold temperature and NASA set 40 degrees F as the minimum temperature
The night before the launch the temperatures fell to 8 degrees F.
The fight was allowed to proceed due to the organizational structure of NASA and its dependence on politically influenced funding.
External Social Factors
Factors completely outside of the technology itself or the human or organizational systems related to it
The disaster of 9/11 although partially due to technological failures of the building design, escape systems, and fire control mechanisms, was precipitated by a terrorist attack influenced by hatred and politics, external social factors
Controlling Risk
Automobiles
Provide numerous social benefits related to the speed at which we can move people and materials over great distances at relatively low costs
Risks and costs include accident related injuries and death and significant environmental pollution
About 45,000 people lose their lives because of automobiles each year and about 250,000 people are injured because of automobiles
In the early part of the last century the automobile was thought to be the solution to the pollution of our streets by horses depositing tons of manure and millions of gallons of urine each day on the streets of NYC
We limit the risk by regulation in design and use
Chapter Goals
Be conscious of the fact that every technology has associated risks
Weigh risks in terms of benefits
Identify sources of technological risk
