ES&T EDITORIAL
MacDonald's farm today Old MacDonald still has his farm and his herd of ferthings. These animals, it may be recalled, are susceptible to a fatal water-borne disease called hyfertitus. " Two decades ago, on the basis of an economic model, MacDonald installed a water treatment unit called a "Disinfeclarminator" to destroy the pathogens that caused hyfertitus. The results were more groats (profit) for MacDonald, practical experience in statistics and epidemiology for his daughter, Honoria, and a sale for Young Sam, the equipment salesman. Furthermore, the model for ferthings was applied to people by Honoria's professor to provide a rationale for the setting of all criteria, standards, or rules for administration of man's environment. Among the professor's several conclusions was the observation that "The setting of any quality criterion or standard relating to health and well-being inevitably entails making an implicit estimate of a cost:benefit ratio based on whatever data or other factors are available for judgment." The professor's results were well received by academics in ivory towers and also by some engineers in practice, but were largely ignored by public decision makers. Events have occurred that are causing MacDonald to reexamine the technology used for a conventional Disinfeclarminator in water treatment. A powerful oxidant, oozine, is used to destroy the pathogens. This chemical also reacts with naturally occurring organic substances found in all water sources to form polyoozopanes (POPs), substances that may exert toxic effects on ferthings. Furthermore, like all water and wastewater treatment systems, each Disinfeclarminator unit produces a waste requiring disposal. The question "To treat or not to treat?" answered succinctly by the economic model, has been replaced by "Where to dump?" The question is clear but the answer is not.
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Environ. Sci. Technol., V o l . 17, No. 1, 1983
Federal legislation has restricted the discharge of pollutants into surface waters and the atmosphere and also encouraged the land disposal of wastes. The purposes of this legislation are laudable, and many of the results are beneficial to humankind and to the environment. Other returns are of less value or even detrimental. In MacDonald's case, substances formerly discharged to the environment are being stockpiled, awaiting disposal. "Zero discharge" to surface waters can merely mean relocation to another site. New knowledge has changed both the costs and the benefits in MacDonald's economic analysis. It is true, as stated by Honoria's professor, that "To set a criterion is to impute a cost-benefit ratio." It is also true that developments in science and technology change this cost-benefit ratio. The changes may be favorable or unfavorable. A consequence of these changes is that rules require réévaluation. The control of environmental quality involves complex social, legal, political, economic, scientific, and technological issues. For some time administrative solutions have been promulgated with insufficient regard for the advice of Honoria's professor and for scientific and technological understanding. What is MacDonald to do about the POPs in his water and the wastes from his treatment plant? What is society to do with its pollutants? As we reevaluate our rules, let us use science, technology, and economics more extensively and more advantageously than in the past. The alternatives are expensive and ineffective. " Thomas, Harold Α., Jr. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 1963, LXXil, 143-48, reprinted in Journal of the American Water Works As sociation 1964,5(5, 1087-91.
0013-936X/82/0916-0004A$01.50/0
© 1982 American Chemical Society
