Industrial pollution is not only a problem for Europe and North
America but it is also an extremely serious problem in some developing
countries. Economic growth is a very important goal for these
countries. They want to develop new industries, so they put few
controls on industries which cause pollution in order to attract large
international companies.
Catanduva, an industrial town of 85,000 people in Brazil, is an
example of the relationship between industrial development and
pollution. In 1954, Catanduva had no industry. Today it has more than
twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants. The people of
the town are exposed to a large number of poisonous substances in their
environment. In other words, these people have no protection against
these harmful, toxic subtances. The results of this exposure can be
clearly seen. Birth defects are extremely common, and medical science
is still not able to correct many of these defects. For example , one out
of every 200 babies suffers from anencephaly, a very unusual type of
brain damage. Usually only one out of every 5000 babies is born with
this condition. Other serious health problems are caused by the
pollution. Among children and adults, asthma and other lung problems
are sometimes twelve times more common in Catanduva than in other
places.
It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against
pollution, but the government does not enforce these laws strictly
enough. It is cheaper for companies to ignore the laws and pay the fines
(money that is paid as punishment) than to buy the expensive equipment
that will reduce the pollution. It is clear, therefore, that economic
growth is more important to the government than the health of the
workers. However, the responsibility does not completely lie with the
Brazilian government. The example of Catanduva shows that
international companies are not acting in a responsible way either.
Large companies from France, Italy and the U.S. own a number of the
factories in the town. They are doing things in Brazil that they cannot
do at home because if they do, their governments severely punish them
and put them out of business.
