Dumping In The United States

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Dumping refers to the practice of exporting products that have been banned or declared hazardous in the United States (US). The dumping of US banned products in foreign markets can be appealing from both a business and humanitarian viewpoint, however governing bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the US States Department, and others are ineffective in their regulation of dumping practices. The system of notification regarding the dangers of these products has been criticized as flawed because foreign officials inconsistently receive information that is often too vague or too technical to be of any use. In times of suffering, it is natural for humans to want to help those in need and…show more content…
The US State Department has a policy that reads: “No country should establish itself as the arbiter of others’ health and safety standards.” In fact, some governments equate denying them the right to purchase banned products to violating their countries’ national sovereignty. These countries maintain that it is their right to make their own laws regarding what’s wrong/right and legal/illegal to sell to their citizens, that they are best qualified to make these judgements for themselves. It would be very convenient for that to be the final answer, however some philosophers object to this application of ethical relativism. The philosophy that claims what’s morally right is dependent on the society. If a particular society maintains that using DBCP is right thing to do, who are we to say otherwise by imposing our regulations on them? Critics of this rationale argue that some countries aren’t qualified to make determinations about health and safety. That they aren’t advanced enough economically or technologically to fully understand the consequences. Critics further elaborate that even when a country is well informed that the information does not reach all parties who need to know. It is unrealistic to think that the illiterate migrant Central American plantation workers using dangerous pesticides are adequately informed of the risks and subsequent bans in the US. In…show more content…
Because it is not illegal to produce in the U.S. and sell internationally there was no legal obligation to cease production and sales of DBCP. Amvac is very candid in its explanation of motives. When other companies exited the marketplace a vacuum was created. Amvac felt they could fill that vacuum and make a profit. At times what is legal is not always moral and what is illegal is not always immoral. Financial motivations for corporations can outweigh individual’s moral objections to a business practice. I do not believe that all employees at Amvac from the CEOs, Stock Holders, and employees all the way down to the production line were in support of spreading cancer or restricting the world’s population through sterilization. Rather I believe that individuals with in a large company experience organizational diffusion to the extent that no single one of them feels responsible for the decisions of their company. Each thinks that they are just a small player in a larger game, the end result will happen with or without them, and that they are just doing their

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