Finding a solution to the cancer rate in pottstown, - Essay Example

Often, the effects of draining waste or spilling industrial waste, into rivers affect the health of living things such as aquatic life and other non-aquatic living things that depend on the contaminated water. It is obvious that chemicals that find their way in the water can cause cancer in people who consume this water. In effect, this explains the growing number of people diagnosed with cancer over the world, which implies that the city of Pottstown is not an exception. In this case, the city’s cancer rate has been increasing at an abnormal rate, and it is incumbent about the authorities to ensure that there were efforts aimed at extenuating the rate of cancer in the city.

Since cancer rates are abnormally high in the city of Pottstown, the city government of Pottstown needs stricter rules to protect the water supply from chemicals that cause cancer. According to Dr. Jeffrey Griffiths, “Health risks in drinking water are increasing, not declining, but we are not equipped to assess them from a public health surveillance standpoint” (as cited in League of Women Voters, 2005, p. 1). In this case, the measures that governments took to ensure public safety and health were not adequate since they lacked the capacity in carrying out efficient inspection regarding the quality of water human beings consumed.

It is the responsibility of the city government to ensure that the quality of water residents consumed was free of waterborne diseases. However, Griffiths noted that the public health system appears overwhelmed with its resources stretched thin while the Center for Disease Control, which backs the efforts of the state government, face budget cuts (as cited in League of Women Voters, 2005, p. 1). In effect, the failure to have effective systems meant to ensure public safety implies that the public remains unaware of the presence of harmful chemicals or waterborne diseases present in the water