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Leaking Waste Containers
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
ABC's chemical waste is stored in a warehouse at an off-site location. While inspecting the warehouse, engineer Scott Lewis notices several leaking drums.
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Conflict of Interest Serving on a Government Committee
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
Residents in Barker Township strongly oppose the proposed site for the landfill. A very large number opposed the reappointment of Matthews and Parkinson. Now a petition demanding the recall of Matthews and Parkinson has been signed by several hundred township residents. They claim that both Matthews and Parkinson are involved in a conflict of interest.
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Exceeding Pollution Limits
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
Marvin has just prepared a report that indicates that the level of pollution in the plant's water discharges slightly exceeds the legal limitations. However, there is little reason to believe that this excessive amount poses any danger to people in the area; at worst, it will endanger a small number of fish. On the other hand, solving the problem will cost the plant more than $200,000.
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Cutting Roadside Trees
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
For each of the past 7 years at least one person has suffered a fatal automobile accident by crashing into trees closely aligned along a 3 mile stretch of Forest Drive. Many other accidents have also occurred, causing serious injuries, wrecked cars, and damaged trees. Some of the trees are quite close to the pavement. Two law suits have been filed against the road commission for not maintaining sufficient road safety along this 3 three mile stretch. Both were dismissed because the drivers were going well in excess of the 45 mph speed limit.
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City of L'Acide Remediation Case
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case,
Open-Ended Scenario
The City of L’Acide is located on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. with a population of 20,000. The City has contracted with the engineering firm, Benebaction, Inc., to remediate a 3 hectare hazardous waste site from an old firing range. This case includes handouts for 4 teams, each with hidden agendas, to be used in class discussion. It is also accompanied by a companion presentation on "The Environmental Implications of Biotechnology."
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Risk Communication and Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
(Web Page on this Site)
Open-Ended Scenario
A case in which an official must consider his own beliefs as well as current research to decide how to communicate with the public about the potential risk of a navy project.
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Risk Assessment and Nuclear Waste Sites
(Web Page on this Site)
Open-Ended Scenario
A scenario in which an engineer must choose between state-of-the-art science and a simpler method to fulfill a contract.
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The Persistent Engineer
(Web Page on this Site)
Fictionalized Case
Is it within an engineer's responsibility to fight against a public danger, even if it is not within his area of expertise?
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Lamination Press Layout
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
An engineer discovers potentially hazardous dust in the company press room.
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Disposable Cartridges and Disposable Jobs
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
An engineer must make a choice between environmentally friendly design and keeping jobs in the community.
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The Curing Oven
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
A production manager takes a shortcut around required air quality permits.
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Chemical A or B?
(Web Page on this Site)
Open-Ended Scenario
A scenario in which an engineering student attempts to innitiate a manufacturing process that will ensure the safety of company workers and is met with stiff resistance from management.
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Albatross, Lobster Farms, and Aquaculture
(Web Page on this Site)
Fictionalized Case
This case describes a lobster farm in Puerto Rico that was closed by environmental agents. It is meant to stimulate discussion on the interaction between business owners and federal environmental authority.
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Parkville
(Web Page on this Site)
Open-Ended Scenario
A scenario about environmental ethics.
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Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
(Web Page on this Site)
Historical Case
Index to Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident Information. A discussion of the accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania on March 28, 1979 as one of the most serious in the history of the U.S. nuclear industry.
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Love Canal - An Introduction
(Web Page on this Site)
Historical Case
Extensive information about the first case concerning hazardous waste disposal and its possible health effects that received major national attention.
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Three Teaching Case Studies of Accidents in Nuclear Energy Development in Japan
(Web Page on this Site)
Historical Case
An essay describing the use of historical Japanese cases in the relatively recent development of ethics education in Japan.
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Exportation of Risk: The Case of Bhopal
(Web Page on this Site)
Historical Case
This case examines the 1984 catastrophe arising from a chemical leak at a Union Carbide Corporation plant in Bhopal, India, which resulted in the death of as many as 3,000 and injury to thousands more, from the standpoint of exporting risk from industrialized to developing countries. The case, which includes comparisons with Bhopal's sister plant in Institute, West Virginia, considers the moral responsibility for preventing such tragedies on the part of multinational corporations, the governments of the industrialized nations where they are head quartered, and the governments of developing countries where they operate. The moral responsibilities of engineers and scientists working for these organizations are also considered. Deena Murphy-Medley, North Carolina State University.
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Don't Drink the Water
(Web Page on this Site)
Mini-case
In this brief case a chemical engineer is contracted by a small municipality to test drinking water. Upon finding a dangerous level of contaminants in the water, the engineer is stonewalled by the Utilities Commission manager of the financially strapped municipality. (From a collection of cases compiled and edited by Dr. James K. A. Smith, Department of Philosophy, Loyola Marymount University, for his course "Engineering Ethics".
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Community/Expert Involvement in Developing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Model
(Web Page on this Site)
This in-depth case looks at the conflicts that arise in managing and reducing pollution in a community that is reluctant to be involved with government agencies. Ethical issues arise in the case as a result of the consulting engineer's dual role (as paid consultant and unpaid advisor to different groups), the community's suspicion and fear of regulators, the controversial data used to initiate the development of the model, and the bureaucratic nature of the process in which the TMDL was developed. Kathryn A. Neeley, University of Virginia, and Joseph R. Herkert, North Carolina State University, and Teresa B. Culver, University of Virginia.
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Small Municipality Development Strategies from a Sustainability Perspective
(Web Page on this Site)
Hypothetical Case
This case involves a civil engineer working for a small municipality faced with a common development dilemma -- how to remain economically viable in order to control growth and avoid merger with neighboring municipalities. The engineer is asked to evaluate development strategies and recommend a course of action to the town council. Town A has turned its downtown into an antique mall, and is focusing on the redevelopment of brownfield areas. Town B has implemented progressive growth management policies, and is pursuing aggressive annexation and industrial recruitment. The engineer must consider the social, economic, and political motivations, as well as environmental and geographical factors, which led to these radically different plans. Deena Murphy-Medley, North Carolina State University, Joseph R. Herkert, North Carolina State University, and Thomas Martin Wiggins, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.