Understanding U.S. Chemical Regulation and Considerations of Environmental Remediation Using Actor-Network Theory

This Science, Technology, and Society (STS) paper sheds light on the issues with U.S. chemical regulations and offers suggestions, informed by Actor-Network Theory (ANT), on how systems could be improved to protect society and the environment. To write my paper, I completed a literature review and used a case study of a former dry-cleaning operation, Crown Cleaners, polluting the groundwater in a town in Herrings, New York.

The chemical industry in the U.S. started in the 1800s but took off post-World War I after the chemical industries' capabilities had been expanded while supplanting shortages from European countries. Chemical companies, backed by the American Chemical Council, went largely unregulated for decades. During this time chlorinated solvents like PCE were being manufactured by U.S. companies and sold to dry-cleaning facilities as cleaning agents. In the 1960s and 70s, high-profile environmental disasters and scientific discoveries caused the public to unite together to push for government legislation to address out-of-control pollution. The results of the environmental movement were legislation to clean the environment by establishing quality standards and to address hazardous chemicals by regulating market entry, pollution, and clean-ups.

I apply ANT to the Crown Cleaners case study to illustrate translations between actors and to identify areas where if the actors behaved differently, the outcome of requiring environmental remediation could have been different. I synthesize these findings to show where remediation efforts need improvement and how existing U.S. laws are largely insufficient and lack much-needed reform.

I argue that the U.S. should adopt stricter legislation on chemical approval to shift the work burden of proving chemical safety from the government to the chemical industry. I also suggest the government reevaluate legislation to close known loopholes and force polluters to take responsibility. Lastly, I recommend the U.S. allocate funding and more manpower to address contaminated sites in the interest of protecting human health.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science

STS Advisor: Joshua Earle