Shit is good for you. posted by Richard Seymour

And toxic shit is best of all. Forget Persil's open plea to its consumers to get dirty.

Soon, we will have ironic, mocking advertisements appearing to make a shocking claim, then backing it up with a calm presentation of 'facts' - for the thoughtful consumer, so inured to 'risk society' that the latest scare campaign about avian flu or BSE has no effect but to raise a single eyebrow a few millimetres. For instance: "Toxic Sludge Is Good For You ... research shows that x% daily dietary intake of radioactive material (Toxic Sludge^TM) protects the body against free radicals. Rich in anti-oxidants, this Product^TM will ward of signs of ageing..." This is serious.



There are reforms underway at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will - all being well - involve a superfluity of toxic sludge is pumped into the air and water every day. The first proposal is to change the limited reporting threshold from 500 pounds to 5,000 pounds. Second, the EPA wants to remove the ban on limited reporting for the most toxic chemicals (PBTs like mercury, lead, etc.). Finally, the agency notified Congress that they plan to cut the program in half and only collect the pollution reports every other year. Simply publishing the pollution figures every year has pressured facilities to reduce their pollution. Companies have cut millions of pounds of toxic emissions because of TRI.

Environmentalism isn't ultimately about hugging trees (although there are surely some responsible tree-huggers out there): it is about what happens to the human body, in this or future generations. So, when the US government decides that it is going to allow a surfeit of dangerous and poisonous material to enter the atmosphere and make its way to your parts unknown, it is fucking you.

More: EPA fact-sheet on changes; critics rip relaxation of environmental rules; OMB Watch. Relying on the virtues of American capitalism to stick to the letter of the law and protect John Q Consumer and Joe Sixpack? Better think on that some more.