In 1905, the philosopher George Santayana said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Some version of this has been borrowed by many, including Winston Churchill, who used it before the House of Commons in 1948. But I don’t intend to overstate my case before the evidence.
So let’s begin with chemistry. Inorganic chemistry, to be precise. Potassium permanganate. It is an oxidizer used throughout the country in the water purification process. The highlights of its classification include its ability to intensify fires and its known potential for explosion when in contact with combustible substances.
Under “exposure effects,” it is said to be “a harmful concentration of airborne particles can be reached quickly when dispersed.” It decomposes on heating, producing toxic gases and fumes, which can cause severe skin burns, eye damage and lung edema (fluid build-up in the lungs), according to the National Institute of Health.
It is also suspected of damaging fertility and/or an unborn child. It also is extremely toxic to aquatic ecologies and warnings reiterate “Do not let this chemical enter the environment.”
Still, with all this presented as authorized fact, it can be maintained in a relatively safe condition under prescribed management. But the question remains, where?
Following the Jan. 11 Carus explosion in La Salle, plans were made to move all stored materials from the La Salle location to an alternative site. Though investigation of the fire and explosion has not been completed, it might be fair to assume potassium permanganate was involved, with Carus being the largest producer of the substance in the country and the fact it was a substance released in the fire’s aftermath.
Oddly, that “alternative storage site” has turned out to be in the very midst of three of Ottawa’s primary elementary schools. Two of those schools, Central and Shepherd, are 300 yards from the main storage building. McKinley Elementary School is located approximately two blocks away.
Within the building, there is an estimated one million pounds of potassium permanganate stored beneath preventative water sprinkler systems, a fact calmly noted by a local official. For myself, the vast majority of my time spent working in the elementary district is spent working within these three schools.
There are about 1,000 students occupying all three schools on any given day. Young minds utterly unaware of the decisions being made on their behalf, or not being made on their behalf, by the adults in charge. Yet, given all the warehousing alternatives present in spacious La Salle County, why would one prefer a site so closely situated to so many vulnerable children? It boggles the mind.
We often ask, after the fact, why were decisions like this made? I’m sure there are plenty of those very same questions being posed in East Palestine, Ohio, or Monticello, Minnesota, or the hundreds of other chemical spill sites that occur in our country each year. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 40% of the American population lives within three miles of a hazardous chemical facility.
For better or worse, the price we all pay for our glorified scientific/industrial lifestyle. On that basis, Santayana also wrote, “Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament.” Is it asking too much that we make the very best of that predicament?
Paul Wheeler grew up in suburban Chicago and traveled much of the United States before settling in Ottawa, and now Streator. He writes about a variety of topics including art, writers, politics, history, education and environmental issues. He can be reached at newsroom@mywebtimes.com