This memo will add some of my thoughts to Carlys memo which gives a great overview for the chemical valley case study.
There exists an enormous amount of data on the chemical valley controversy in Canada. Doing research on spills that happend there in the last years, it first seemed like media coverage is pretty good and as if the accidents are openly communicated. However, trying to find some tangible information, it turns out that the reasons for accidents and their full effects are mostly concealed. I'm not really surprised, since it's in the companies interest to cover up such accidents, but since a lot of the information comes from the environmental law charity Ecojustice and it would be in the interest of many stakeholders, i would have expected more details.
The newspaper articles leave me with the impression that although the government is committed to the establishment of all-encompassing warning systems, these are then not used by the industry or cooperation does not work and residents only way to avoid exposure to chemicals exists by using their noses and then prevent worse by shelter-in place.
