Metallurgical Plants and Chemicals Industry as Challenges to Environmental Protection in the 19th Century

Abstract

Industrial emissions in the 19 century have characterised the processing models used in certain technical disciplines, which define the environmental debate headed by technology (A. Andersen, 1996). When dealing with emissions and the hazards arising from emissions, the metallurgical industry as a whole relied on a shift in the time and space dimension. In doing so, they relied on a shift from acute and local hazards to long-term global effects. The objective of this was defined two-fold: firstly, any type of emissions also signified a commercial loss, which had to be minimised; secondly, the expenses incurred for compensation were to be externalised. However, this was only possible if the legal requirement of clear causal evidence was not able to be furnished. To illustrate this point, I should like to compare this branch of industry with perception of risks in the chemicals industry, which as a new industry – as will be demonstrated – has developed and has been able to develop a completely different way of tackling such risks (A. Andersen, 1999). To begin with, I should like to examine some events, which took place in the kingdom of Saxony. In 1845 fourteen inhabitants of the town of Halsbrucke and the municipal aldermen protested to the local authorities in Freiberg about expansion plans for the state-operated metallurgical plant: