Contaminated Ground Water Case Study

In this “case 11a: ethical problems related to our community concerns over contaminated ground water.”1 In nearby farm was suspected of contaminating their drinking well water wind pesticides used to treat their produce in a semi-rural community. The local government had conducted some testing and determined that the water was unsafe for human consumption. The residents were warned not to drink their well water. However, the government only shared the results to the owners about their individual wells, and not that of their neighbors, in order to protect their individual confidentiality.1 This single act has the residents confused as to the source of contamination and extent of the contaminant, which led to skepticism of the authorities involved in the well-sampling program in their community.1
As simple as this case may appears, it is one of those cases that challenges intricacies of public health laws and ethics. Based on the contents of this case, there are several ethical principles that are applicable, such as the …show more content…
By not sharing the entire results with the entire community at once, is an effort to deceive.1 By not telling them about the widespread issue may be beneficial to the authorities for whatever the reason; however, this act that may result in harm, which further erodes trust as set forth by the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence.1,3 The government has a moral obligation to treat the residents of the community in an ethical manner and to make sure they are protected from any harm posed by the pesticide in their water supplies. Telling individuals not to drink water from their wells is not enough. They need to be fully aware of what is in their water so that they better understand the problem confronting them and can make informed decisions to protect their health and