ETHICAL DILEMMA

Throughout North Philadelphia there are many abandoned factories and warehouses. More than being just a nimby these factories are possibly very harmful to their surrounding communities. These abandoned warehouses and factories have gone untouched for decades, not even the government has surveyed the area. They set next to row homes and provide a dangerous place that children play in and around. Not only do some harm the environment they harm the community by providing a place for drug users to house themselves and they bring down the value of homes that people live in. There is an abandoned electric factory that has been left standing and hasn’t had the proper disposed of. Not only is it being ignored, companies are even developing new housing around it like it doesn’t exist. People walk around these building everyday without every knowing what types of danger that they pose and since they don’t think there is anything they can do about it. The government is not doing anything but ignoring the problem; this is the case until something happens. The soil has not been checked for any type of contamination and also the previous disposal practices of the companies that once occupied these warehouses and factories has not been researched. Many of the lots surrounding these buildings are devoid of any type of plant life. Though something needs to be done the question remains whether or not it would be more harmful to remove these abandoned factories and warehouse than to leave them standing. Many of these buildings were constructed in times where asbestos was used; also no one seems to know if the proper protocol that was supposed to be used for getting rid of waste was used. When these factories closed down the chemicals and machinery that was used seems to somehow disappear and no one has an explanation. This raises suspicions about these new green spaces and parks that are popping up around North Philadelphia, were the once brownfields now being covered up to look like something they are not?