Connecting Real Life Articles to Friendswood

Daniela Alavanja

Professor Young

English 1001

5 February 2017

Connecting Real Life Articles to Friendswood

       In the novel Friendswood by Rene Steinke there is a serious environmental issue going on. There was a chemical dumping in Banes field which seems to have effected many residents near by. For example, Lee lost her daughter Jess when she developed a blood disease. It also seems like the chemical toxics are having a negative impact on Willa. She seems to be having these “visions”. The situation in Friendswood connects greatly with a real life situation I read about. The New York Times published an article, Drinking Water in Newark Known to Have Lead Problem at Least 6 Year Ago. 

       In this article Patrick McGeehan explains that Newark Public Schools found high levels of led in drinking water but released the information to the public six years later! So as a “solution” the superintendent had water foundations turned off in thirty schools with high lead levels, and provided them with bottled water. When the thirty schools got tested all the district website said was: “results will be shared  in coming weeks, as they become available and are analyzed for accuracy and quality”. Later on, it was concluded that the result of the lead was due to old plumbing. However, it was unclear where the money to replace it would come from. Health experts warned that ingesting the lead can cause behavioral and learning issues especially with children. Governor Chris Christie however shrugged the issue to the side and said there was no danger in Newark. 

      It is crystal clear, that what is happening in Friendswood goes hand in hand with the Newark issue. In both cases, the community is left is the dark, and not cared for. Furthermore, we can see money plays a big role in both communities. The reason, Avery Taft wants to build on Banes field is to earn money and the reason the town is supporting it is because it will provide jobs and improve the town. In Newark, they know old plumbing is the reason for the lead, but they do not have the money to replace it. Lastly, I would compare the EPA in Friendswood to Governor Chris Christie. Both authorities ignore the issues going on in the environment and do not seem to care about human health.
     To sum it all up, in both cases there are very serious issues going on and little is being done to take care of it. However, I believe in Friendswood the EPA was more ethical then the superintendent, and Governor in Newark. In Friendswood there were many tests conducted and it all results came back clear. However, Newark left people in the dark for six years and never really solved the problem!