Last school year Furman University declared it the Year of Global Citizenship after a grassroots movement from the students demanded that the topic be at the forefront of discussion. But, what does “global citizenship” even mean? This along with many other questions drove student discussions in many different venues on campus. After a year of deliberation the student committee stated that Furman’s definition of global citizenship is the recognition that acts we engage in, at any level (as individuals, as governments, or anything in between), may impact people in other parts of our common world. This concept has become even more important over the last half century as the world has become increasingly globalized in every aspect. Globalization of markets has had social, economic, and environmental impacts throughout the world, but this paper focuses on the mining industry’s effects on health in India.
India is blessed with a large supply of mineable materials including bauxite, iron ore, coal, and natural gas which have been extracted since the creation of India; however, the mining industry in India on the whole is an environmental and public heath tragedy. Mining in India has increased over the years because of a global market demand for raw earth materials in electronics and for power production. The mining industry has been involved in numerous corruption scandals involving politicians from all over India leading to general mistrust of the industry from the Indian people. Certain states have better records than others for corruption and environmental degradation including Kerala, but many other states have major problems enforcing the environmental laws put in place to protect the public from the negative impacts of mining. The environmental impacts from mining are not only limited to the act of extraction, but also the refinery process. All of the contaminants that make their way out into the surrounding environment cause widespread environmental degradation and pose a large threat to public health.
The article Chromium (VI) in Waters in Parts of Sukinda Chromite Valley and Health Hazards, Orissa, India studied the effects of mining in Orissa on the contamination of drinking water with chromium (VI), the most toxic form of the element. What the study showed was widespread contamination in groundwater and surface water in the region studied. Of all the drinking water sampled 61% of the samples had levels of contamination higher than the recommended amount.[i] The contamination of surrounding water comes from the runoff from the open pit mines that are mining chromite for industrial use. Large rains cause toxic materials including the oxidized chromium (VI) to become mobilized in the water where it can make its way into the drinking water of the town downstream. Another way chromium becomes mobilized in the water supply is through landslides in and around the mine. These landslides are caused by large amounts of rain associated with monsoon and poor management of slope stability by the mine operators. Waste rock can then migrate outside of the mine itself and contaminate the surrounding environment. Once chromium (VI) has contaminated the drinking water supply it can cause a wide array of health issues for anyone who ingests the water. Hexavalent chromium ingestion can cause stomach pain, ulcers, convulsions, liver damage, and death.[ii] Since hexavalent chromium is an oxidizing agent it has been labeled a carcinogen and linked to numerous types of cancers including stomach, liver, and other GI cancers. Though there is not data about cancer rates for the contaminated areas, there is data showing an increase in the rates of GI issues which can be most likely attributed to the presence of chromium (VI).
The impacts of the mining industry on a global scale create an interesting case for discussing the role a global citizen. The whole concept of global citizenship is focused around the idea that individual’s decisions have global impacts. This can be seen in the article above on chromium contamination. Parts of cars, electronic devices, and industrial alloys require the mining of chromium for their production. As consumers, individuals make choices on whether or not to buy new products on the market. The decision to buy a new car may not seem like it has global ramifications, but this requires more metals including chromium to be mined around the globe. This increase in mining is driven by the consumerist nature of the current developed economy. Though wide scale environmental protection policies have been passed in the United States to protect citizens from negative impacts from mining, the people of the developing world rarely have the luxury of protection from the environmental degradation seen from these practices. Understanding the connections between decision making in the developed world and problems seen in the global south is at the core of global citizenship and will only increase in importance as the world continues to expand and globalize.
Dubey, C. S., Sahoo, B. K., & Nayak, N. R. (2001). Chromium (vi) in waters in parts of sukinda chromite valley and health hazards, orissa, india. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 67, 541-548.
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