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They really shouldn't have skipped the rules, a common source of solvent plumes in groundwater is drycleaners. When did they start using halogenated solvents, i

They really shouldn't have skipped the rules, a common source of solvent plumes in groundwater is drycleaners. When did they start using halogenated solvents, in the 1930s?

Gibbon1 9y ago
[When did they start using halogenated solvents] Post war I think. I saw an old educational movie from the 30/40s. 'How a dry cleaners works' they were using ether or some such for dry cleaning. Film went over how the fire alarm/suppression system worked. I think the issue with halogenated solvents wasn't really understood at first. Businesses would just dump the stuff in the drain or on the ground. I remember a news report in Santa Cruz country, some business was getting harassed because they were supposedly illegally dumping perch. Turned out there was dry cleaners there in the 1950's and they were dumping perch in the septic system. 50 years later it was seeping into the San Lorinzo river.
- Aloha 9y ago
  Mid-Late 30's, before that it used gasoline or naphtha to do the cleaning.
dekhn 9y ago
I agree they shouldn't have skipped the rules. But, at the time, I guess they kind of knew they were onto something (semiconductors) and the decided to cut a few corners?
kbenson 9y ago
At this point it should be obvious that those starting out an industry, or those disrupting it so much as to make it in their image, have all the incentive in the world to break rules in small to medium ways consistently and pay for it later (if at all) from a position of dominance. Not only can they afford it later, but enough elites usually get in on the deal to make money on the way up help shield it from any major blowback. Just look at Uber for a recent example. I'd bet you could pick any decade of the last 150 years and it wouldn't be that hard to find obvious, well known examples.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  Those aren't 'small to medium ways'.
  - kbenson 9y ago
    While I mostly agree, I was mainly trying to distinguish ignoring regulations and fraud and generally being horrible from murder, kidnapping, treason, etc which some people's minds might have gone to otherwise. That said, I don't doubt some companies fitting my initial criteria also dabbled in these more extreme crimes occassionally to get what they wanted. I'd like to think it's much less common though.
Aloha 9y ago
I dont think they did skip the rules - there were few regulations of environmental discharge of chemicals before the 70's.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

They really shouldn't have skipped the rules, a common source of solvent plumes in groundwater is drycleaners. When did they start using halogenated solvents, in the 1930s?

Gibbon1 9y ago

[When did they start using halogenated solvents] Post war I think. I saw an old educational movie from the 30/40s. 'How a dry cleaners works' they were using ether or some such for dry cleaning. Film went over how the fire alarm/suppression system worked. I think the issue with halogenated solvents wasn't really understood at first. Businesses would just dump the stuff in the drain or on the ground. I remember a news report in Santa Cruz country, some business was getting harassed because they were supposedly illegally dumping perch. Turned out there was dry cleaners there in the 1950's and they were dumping perch in the septic system. 50 years later it was seeping into the San Lorinzo river.

Aloha 9y ago
Mid-Late 30's, before that it used gasoline or naphtha to do the cleaning.

dekhn 9y ago

I agree they shouldn't have skipped the rules. But, at the time, I guess they kind of knew they were onto something (semiconductors) and the decided to cut a few corners?

kbenson 9y ago

At this point it should be obvious that those starting out an industry, or those disrupting it so much as to make it in their image, have all the incentive in the world to break rules in small to medium ways consistently and pay for it later (if at all) from a position of dominance. Not only can they afford it later, but enough elites usually get in on the deal to make money on the way up help shield it from any major blowback. Just look at Uber for a recent example. I'd bet you could pick any decade of the last 150 years and it wouldn't be that hard to find obvious, well known examples.

jacquesm 9y ago
Those aren't 'small to medium ways'.
- kbenson 9y ago
  While I mostly agree, I was mainly trying to distinguish ignoring regulations and fraud and generally being horrible from murder, kidnapping, treason, etc which some people's minds might have gone to otherwise. That said, I don't doubt some companies fitting my initial criteria also dabbled in these more extreme crimes occassionally to get what they wanted. I'd like to think it's much less common though.

Aloha 9y ago

I dont think they did skip the rules - there were few regulations of environmental discharge of chemicals before the 70's.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]