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When Less is More
I often complain about lax chemical regulations. And, I am definitely guilty of saying “imports are poisoning people in America.” But what about the people that make those imports? Few of us ever stop to think about them.
This amazing investigative piece that I read today in The Salt Lake Tribune puts things into perspective. It is written by Loretta Tofani, a journalist that is spending time in China visiting factory workers and reviewing medical and legal records. It investigates the health implications that these products, made mostly for America, are having on workers.
While the products are made for Americans, the rights and protections of Chinese workers are not the same as those of American workers. This makes the super-cheap products super-expensive for those who are inhaling, touching and being surrounded with many chemicals.
In most cases, Chinese corporations own the factories and American companies just pay them to make the products. The reduction in prices allows American companies to compete in global market. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, “Last year, the U.S. imported $287.8 billion in goods from China, up from $51.5 billion a decade ago.
In a global economy, few think of basic human rights, like workers health. China did pass a law in 2002 that would set more rigorous standards for their workers. However, the law is not enforced and more emphasis is given to the economic growth then safety.
While there is definite economic growth in China, the Chinese Ministry of Health estimated in 2005 that at least 200 million of 700 million workers in the labor force were regularly exposed to toxic chemicals in factories. This also led to China’s world lead on deaths per capita from work-related illnesses. China’s manufacturing costs have lead to reduction of the cost of their goods from 11 percent to 44 percent, according to Columbia University law professor Mark Barenberg as quoted in the article.
So, while we all enjoy our inexpensive goods, we should wonder sometimes what they do to the world around us, and the people we share the planet with. I know that I will never again think I got a deal.
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