Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Law at the Vanishing Point

Question: Describe about the Law at the vanishing point? Answer: Here the mentioned statement is descriptive in nature as it is mentioned in the referred text book that the business of the Plasma International was going good and smooth as well as it was very much profitable as the organization used to buy the blood at a rate of 15 cents per pint and it was used to put on sell by them to the United State and South America at the rate of $25 per pint. It enabled the company to earn a huge amount of profit by selling bloods; they sold around ten thousand pints at a total price of $25000. The mentioned in the question is impliedly described in the referred context, in this purview, commercialism in blood marketing is not new in United State, there blood used to be sold and purchased. It not only demoralizes the voluntary blood donors but it also affects the medical field of the nation as it takes place in the mind of the donors that others are selling the same what they are donating . In the countries like Britain, New Zealand, Australia, blood are not a commodity which may be put on for sale, the blood banks of those countries are completely depended upon the voluntary blood donors. The mentioned statement is normative in nature as the entire article criticized the commercialism of blood, which is considered an inhuman business that a organization used to buy blood at a very cheap rate and sells them in a very high rate, it causes damage to the medical system of the country and it also deprives the persons who actually need blood for saving their life. Commercialism of blood discourages the volunteer blood donors, as it should not be a business with life of living human beings. The mentioned statement can be considered as a normative nature of statement, as Dr. Arthur has enlighten some points relating to the commercialism of body parts of human beings, it involves great ethical demoralization. Body parts like kidney or blood or any other organ should be provided for the purpose of saving the life of a person, these body organs are not to be considered as a general commodity with a cash value. As a person sale his organ against some amount of money but the organ may not be used for any actual needed person who may be financially not very sound. Organs of the human body must be donated with the free consent of the donor voluntarily with an object of saving the life of any dyeing person, it should not be given for money or any other consideration by way of cash or kind. B. As per the context, in selling of body organs like blood, kidney or any other part, the concept of ethical egoism comes into force, as the concept signifies that the moral agents should do in favor of their interest and the interest of the large (RabateÃÅ' , 2001). Here the person selling their blood and other organs along with the organization that are purchasing such organs by giving a little amount of money and earning a huge amount of money, neither of them are thinking about the interest of the human behavior or the welfare of the human beings (Hills, 2010). The rule of utilitarianism concerns about the rightness or wrongfulness of an action relating to interest of the large. In this regard it can be said that the prescribed rule is not being followed in the business of selling and purchasing human blood along with other body organs (Scarre, 2002). It is ethically shameful for the society that where a person is fighting with death for blood the same is put on for sale for some amount of money which may be utilized for satisfying their addiction (Bykvist, 2009). In this doctrine it is mentioned that rule imposes obligation upon the human beings. It deals with a position from where it can judge the morality of an act. In the business of human organs there is no ethics at all, they all are busy in earning money, and they dont even think that these organs are necessary for saving the life of a human being. Regardless, they are conducting their inhuman way of earning profits (Tichy and McGill, 2003). According to my opinion, the process used in Britain, Australia and New Zealand is much better from the procedure of USA as far as blood collection system is concern. Not only moral perspective but also in a general form, blood is not a commodity that can be produced by any company, it is a natural blessing to us. Blood and other body organs are very essential in saving the life of a person, it should not put into a business for an aim of earning money, which is done in USA, but in other mentioned countries these is not a business, where the blood banks of these countries are mainly depended upon the volunteer donor, they neither have to buy bloods nor have to put them on for sale like a general commodity (Mordini and Green, 2009). From ethical point of view it can be said that business are used to be done with general commodities not with the life of the leaving creatures of the society. Selling and purchasing blood is inhuman activity (White, 2005). Apart from that in USA Plasma International purchasing the bloods by taking advantage of the addicted and poor people, they even provide a minimum considerable portion to them from whom they buying the blood that are going to be sold by them more than 100 times price. Businesses of human organs are unethical but here the Plasma International Company crossed all the levels of ethics as they are not only doing inhuman business but they are also doing it in a inhuman way. It is nothing but taking advantage of the poor and helpless people by infringing their basic right to life (Fichtelberg, 2008). References Bykvist, K. (2009).Utilitarianism. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Fichtelberg, A. (2008).Law at the vanishing point. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Hills, A. (2010).The beloved self. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mordini, E. and Green, M. (2009).Identity, security and democracy. Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press. RabateÃÅ' , J. (2001).James Joyce and the politics of egoism. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. Scarre, G. (2002).Utilitarianism. London: Routledge. Tichy, N. and McGill, A. (2003).The ethical challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. White, M. (2005).From a philosophical point of view. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Regulation And Reform Of Euthanasia Essays - Euthanasia,

Regulation And Reform Of Euthanasia Regulation and Reform of Euthanasia Throughout the twentieth century, major scientific and medical advances have greatly enhanced the life expectancy of the average person. However, there are many instances where doctors can preserve life artificially. In these cases, where the patient suffers from a terminal disease or remains in a persistent vegetative state (PVS), the question becomes whether to prolong their life even though it may consist of pain and suffering. One of the landmark cases that involve euthanasia is that of Karen Ann Quinlan. Quinlan, a twenty-one year old New Jersey resident, overdosed on pills and alcohol in 1975. She was rushed to the hospital where her physical condition gradually deteriorated to a vegetative state. The doctors determined she had no chance of recovery. Karen's parents requested she be removed from the respirator. The hospital denied their request. The Quinlans then directed their request to the court. The superior court denied their request. They took their request to the new Jersey Supreme court where the decision was reversed. Karen was removed from the respirator. To everyone's surprise, Karen began breathing on her own and was transferred to a nursing home, where she remained in a coma, fed through tubes, until she died in July 1985, ten years later (Humphry and Wickett, 108). The Quinlan case brought to the forefront patients' desire to die a proud, quiet death and the complications caused by the advancement of medical technology to prolong life. Individuals should have the right to die with dignity in the event of a terminal illness if he or she wants to. Those who oppose legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide say that this could lead to voluntary killing of the aged and infirm. I agree that there may be danger of abuse of euthanasia; therefore, I support passing legislation that monitors and regulates physician assisted suicide. In order to clarify my position, I will first distinguish between passive and active euthanasia and their implications. In addition, I will examine the legal issues behind the Quinlan case and other similar cases. Finally, I will propose the argument that with proper legislation, physician assisted suicide is often a more favorable alternative to allowing patients to suffer needlessly. O. Ruth Russell defines active or positive euthanasia as a positive merciful act taken deliberately to end futile suffering or a meaningless existence...where death is induced either by direct action to terminate life or by indirect action such as in giving drugs in amounts that will clearly hasten death (19). Active euthanasia is illegal in most states. Passive or negative euthanasia means discontinuing or desisting from the use of extraordinary life-sustaining measures or heroic efforts to prolong life in hopeless cases when such prolongation seems an unwarranted extension of either suffering or unconsciousness (Russell, 20). There are several different views associated with active and passive euthanasia. While some doctors and patients may accept passive euthanasia, many reject active euthanasia. Robert G. Twycross strongly disagrees with the practice of euthanasia, especially active euthanasia in Where There Is Hope, There Is Life: A View From the Hospice. Twycross uses cancer patients as an example and asserts that often patients opt for euthanasia because initially they do not feel the relieves of medication being and their pain is used as a channel of mental anguish (162). Therefore, unable to stand the intolerable pain, patients feel that euthanasia is the best way out. However, Twycross argues that compared with patients and physically fit people, doctors have been noted to express a greater fear of death, more rejection of personnel death and significantly more negative death imagery (159). Twycross' argument adds a whole new dimension to the euthanasia argument. If in fact doctors are reluctant t o accept euthanasia in their practice, they may discourage their patients from opting for it. Several complications arise at this point. Even if euthanasia is legalized, will doctors accept the new treatment and will patients be able to go to any doctor before worrying about whether or not the doctor will accept euthanasia when the time comes? The doctor-patient relationship and the ethical connotations of euthanasia are really important to my argument too. Dr. Malcolm C. Todd, president-elect of the American Medical

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Prader-Willi Syndrome an Example of the Topic Health Essays by

Prader-Willi Syndrome by Expert BrilliantEssays | 23 Dec 2016 The following compilation is a description of Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome, two neurodevelopmental conditions, which will be examined, and through questioning, the search for evidence for a possible distinction between the two disorders. Samples of case studies, evolving around the inquiry of the ratio of male v. female diagnosis, will assist in creating a summary, and final report in the quest for the solution of how children affected by these two syndromes can be assisted with daily functions, such as education, will temporarily close this document but persist in being a corner stone in the continued research of Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome. Need essay sample on "Prader-Willi Syndrome" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed What is Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome? Though the two disorders share symptoms, and distinguishable physical features, and are considered disorders resulting from the same affected chromosome region, 15q11-q13, according to the research results found at the Department of Pediatrics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, based in Okayama, Japan; PWS (Prader-Willi Syndrome) results from the loss of expression of paternally expressed genes and AS (Angelman Syndrome) of maternally based genes (Ninomiya, Yokoyama, Kawakami, Une, Maruyama & Morishima, 541). Undergraduates Frequently Tell EssayLab support: I'm not in the mood to write my paper. Because I don't have the time Ask Us To Write My Paper And Get Professional Help Original Essays For Sale Paper Writers For Hire Pay to Get Assignments Done Essay Writer Service Are there shared symptoms between PWS and AS? According to research outcomes cataloged at the Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan, Phenotypes typically include severe to profound psychomotor retardation, abnormal EEG, infantile spasm/epilepsy, hypotonia, behavioral problems, and only mild dysmorphic features; a number of features common to PW or AS were.such as.small hands and feet.hyperextensible joints, seizure, language impairment, and strabismus (Hou & Wang, 126). Case study examples of paternal/maternal inheritance The following information is a compilation of research findings cataloged in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, based upon clinical studies conducted in UK, and companioned by results achieved through the department of pediatrics at the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry based in Okayama, Japan; their clinical studies were addressed in Pediatrics International (2005). The research conducted and compiled in UK directly focuses upon paternal inheritance of PWS/AS, in which the patient (a five year old female), the parents, two siblings, and a paternal uncle were also tested for similar traits, to show genetic link to the patient of focus. Some of the characteristics examined were intellectual level, early speech and language development, and motor skill development, inidually, along with cataloging physical features present with the patient in comparison to her family members. Family history was taken into account with the following: There is a family history of manic-depressive in a maternal grandparent and a psychiatric illness, which at stages has been attributed to depression or dementia in a paternal grandparent. In a maternal aunt there is a history of learning difficulties (Veltman, Thompson, Craig, Dennis, Roberts, Moore, Brown & Bolton, 119). The conclusion of the study conducted with the family was found that the mother didnt possess the duplicated gene, although she generated a history of developmental delays and learning difficulties in the academic setting, according to Veltman, Thompson, Craig, Dennis, Roberts, Moore, Brown s testing results showed that he carries the duplicated gene, and had reported a variety of developmental delays, such as walking and social interaction. He also reported having difficulties in the realm of academics, specifically mathematics. The results of the paternal uncle and siblings were no evidence of deficits with the uncle, and while neither sibling possessed the deficient gene in question, each displayed developmental delays throughout their histories, according to Veltman, Thompson, Craig, Dennis, Roberts, Brown & Bolton. The clinical studies generated in Japan were focused upon the maternal inheritance of PWS/AS, and an 18 year old male patient was examined, and blood samples were also taken from the parents. The patients medical history, physical characteristics and developmental delays were discussed, as was the results to the testing conducted to produce the answer to paternal/maternal linkage for PWS/AS. Although research findings focused upon the clinical features of PWS, the following was stated in report: The present case showed the deletion of the very small region from the maternal allele, an AS-like pattern, thought he has some clinical findings for PWS..The difference may be caused by the range of negative regulation spreading. The findings of this study underpin the importance of a positive molecular study in patients with some clinical findings of PWS, and that some symptoms for PWS need the gene of biallelic expression adjacent to the narrow region (Ninomiya, Yokoyama, Kawakami, Une, Ma ruyama & Morishima, 543, 544 & 545). Is the necessity for more in-depth research needed for the maternal inheritance of the duplicate gene for PWS/AS? The question arises with the knowledge that PWS/AS does not possess a male v. female ratio like the findings in Autism Spectrum Disorders research found among male and female children; for every one girl diagnosed with ASD, there are four boys who will receive clinical diagnosis of the same disorder. There is also the question of how genetics counselors become involved to assist in prenatal diagnosis of PWS/AS. Are the possibilities of recurrence in additional children if the first or second child tests positive for the duplicate gene? Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and Angelman Syndrome (AS) are associated with a loss of function of imprinted genes in the 15q11-q13 region mostly due to deletions or uniparental disomies (UPD). These anomalies usually occur de novo with a very low recurrence risk. However, in rare cases, familial translocations are observed, giving rise to a high recurrence risk (Flori, Biancalana, Girard-Lemaire, Favre, Flori, Doray & Mandel, 181). What can be done to assist children with Prader-Willi/Angelman Syndrome? Repetitive behavior was examined in children with PWS/AS and children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). While most of the findings paralleled each other, such as sameness with routines and habits (established activities and/or games played) and sensory sensitivity (different types of fabrics with certain clothes), there were significant differences noted, such as collection of objects, preferences for certain types of food, and lining up of objects (children with ASD are likely to line objects or toys in a row, especially on furniture). Children with PWS showed similar levels of repetitive and ritualistic behavior overall to that seen in children with autism; however, there was some specificity in terms of type of repetitive behavior shown in the two groups. Future research should investigate whether these behavioural phenotypic similarities in PWS and autism are associated with a common neuropsychological, neurotransmitter or genetic origin (Prince, Evans & Charman, 98). Therefore, would the intervention methods implemented for children with ASD be applicable for children with PWS/AS, such as advocacy for these children and their right to education? Could parents of children with PWS/AS be supportive in the roles of negotiator, monitor, supporter, and advocate in conjunction with teachers within the school system? Stoner and Angell submitted a report to Focus on Autism and Developmental Disabilities in 2006, that showed results collected from four families of children with ASD in the exploration of the involvement of parents with their childs education. The 1997 IDEA (Iniduals with Disabilities Education Act) was immediately introduced in the beginning of the documentation, stating the parents legal rights to be involved in their childrens education; this applies to all children, regardless of disability. Parents and educators are involved in the process of meetings to discuss IEP (Inidualized Education Program) strategy and IFSP (Inidualized Family Service Plan goals to develop objectives, interventions, or methods of evaluation, according to Stoner and Angell. In more recent studies, parents of children with disabilities, including ASD, have reported having no involvement with IEP or IFSP plans, lack of choices in services, or lack of effective services (Stoner & Angell, 178). If there is a lack of communication and involvement at times shown here with parents of children with ASD, could this problem cross over into parental involvement of parents with children with PWS/AS? Does parental trust of the education system become an issue? Education professionals, teachers and administration, were given two recommendations, per Stoner and Angells report. (1) Recognize the potential benefit of parents assuming multiple roles within the education setting and encourage parents to be fully engaged in their childrens education, and (2) Recognize that parents will vary in their levels of engagement in their childrens education (Stoner when it came to their children; this sets the stage for apprehension towards trusting other professionals in these fields. Summary Prader-Willi/Angelman Syndromes, though sharing similar symptoms and characteristics, are set apart by inherited gene factors; PWS being paternal inheritance and AS being of maternal origin. Continued research is being conducted to monitor how the duplication of 15q11-q13 occurs, along with the possibilities of recurrence in families with children with PWS/AS. How to assist children with PWS/AS, along with their families, is also being taken into consideration, and integrative methods applied to children with disabilities, such as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders), are being look into as a source of assistance in the search for intervention methods for children with Prader-Willi/Angelman Syndromes. Final Report (Conclusion) Continued research, involving participants of families and their children affected with PWS/AS, the differences and similarities of the disorders, the genetic links for each one, along with intervention methods for assisting children with PWS/AS, is the current recommended solution in the search for answers in assisting children with Prader-Willi/Angelman Syndrome. References Flori, E.; Biancalana, V.; Girard-Lemaire, F.; Favre, R.; Flori, J.; Doray, B.; & Mandel, J. L. (2004). Greaves, N.; Prince, E.; Evans, D. W. & Charman, T. (2006). Hou, J. W. & Wang, T. R. (1998). Ninomiya, S.; Yokoyama, Y.; Kawakami, M.; Une, T.; Maruyama, H. & Morishima, T. (2005). Stoner, J. B. & Angell, M. E. (2006, Fall). Veltman, M. W. M.; Thompson, R. J.; Craig, E. E.; Dennis, N. R.; Roberts, S. E.; Moore, V.; Brown, J. A. & Bolton, P. F. (2005).

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Poverty in America essays

Poverty in America essays Poverty in the United States is getting worse each day and not enough is getting done about it. There are people who want to help the poor, but no one knows exactly how to help them. Those who are against poverty agree that something needs to be done, but they do not know how to go about getting things done. A primary reason for people not taking action is because of lack of information that is provided about issues on poverty. There is no limited amount of information about poverty. People only need to know where to go to obtain such information. Issues about poverty is not stressed enough by the media to keep America informed on what the country is going through with this problem. Poverty in America is being blamed on the system and the individual affected. The system is to blame because of social programs like welfare and social security on give a minimal amount of money to aid the poor. The Trickle Down approach which was introduced by the Reagan and Bush Administrators, was installed with the belief that by issuing a tax cut amongst the upper class would give more money into the economy that would eventually reach the lower class. A second program issued was the Interventionist approach, which was an action made on behalf of the federal government to help educate and employ the poor in order to help them attain a job career. Unfortunately, these social programs was not able to keep up with the inflation rates and the constant want of material goods by the poor, created by the need to fit in with the middle and upper classes (Burton, 1992). As individuals, poverty is being blamed because of the lifestyles that families live in today. It is said that because of the lack of support in poor families, individuals raised in poverty are likely to fail as adults (Bradbury, 2001). Education can take a toll on how much support poor families receive. With the lack of education, and intelligence, individua...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Legal Aspects of Health Information Management Case Study

Legal Aspects of Health Information Management - Case Study Example The informed consent process for emergency surgery in children poses a challenge for pediatric surgeons because the child and his/her parents must make medical decisions in a relatively short period. The unique circumstances of a surgical emergency create potential barriers to achieving the central goals of the informed consent process. This notwithstanding, if the parents are present, then the document must be signed. The fundamental principle of informed consent is relatively clear. Almost 100 years ago, Justice Cardozo stated "Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; and a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient's consent commits an assault for which he is liable for damages." Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital, 105 N.E. 92 (New York, 1914) overruled on other grounds, Bing v. Thunig, 143 N.E. 2d 3 (New York, 1957). Accordingly, it goes without saying that the parents must consent for the surgery. If however the parents were not available, then the doctor should attempt all ways possible to locate the parents while at the same time explaining to the patient what is happening and what must happen. The underlying purpose of informed consent is to provide each individual patient with control over his or her own body. To imply consent because a reasonable person might consent but where this patient, in fact, did not consent, undermines the entire philosophy of informed consent. Thus if the parents are not available, the surgery cannot happen. Essay #2 Paula Patient doesn't want her violent boyfriend to know she's getting an abortion, so she asks Dr. Bob to send all communications to her to a post office box and to phone her only at work. What should Dr. Bob do, and what is the legal basis for your advice If she tells Dr. Bob that not doing this will endanger her, would your answer be different Assuming of course that Dr. Bob is the man performing the abortion, he only needs Paula's consent. There are two prevailing standards for informed consent. The first, the so called "traditional" or "community" standard, is physician centered and defined by the common and customary practices in the medical community, or on what a reasonable physician would reveal in a particular situation. The second standard is patient centered, and is defined by what a "reasonable patient" would find relevant to his or her decision to accept or forego a recommended medical treatment. Simply stated, abortion does not involve any body other than that of the female. The procedure is being performed on the female, and for that reason, there is no other consent required but that of the female. The basic tenet of abortion and the laws applied to it are for the preservation of the woman and nobody else. Moreover, the Supreme court has made it clear in their decisions that they are not interested in discussing the perceived rights of a child but rather sustaining the rights of the woman. Accordingly, there is no difference whether Paula's boyfriend is violent or an angel. He has no bearing whatsoever in the decision process because it is not his body and therefore is not entitled to consent to anything. Essay #3 Paula Patient's attorney asks Dr. Bob for medical records about Paula's car accident and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Wheat Seed Treatment in Australia Research Paper

Wheat Seed Treatment in Australia - Research Paper Example Seeds are subject to attacks not only externally but also internally as fungi or bacteria may attach to their coating or even within eventually causing plant diseases. The dangers that threaten seeds are present during storage and after planting. The soils upon which seeds are planted also contain fungi and bacteria that could harm them and the degree to which they could endanger seeds depend upon the condition of the soil at the time seeds are planted, which do not favour fast germination. Seed treatment had been practiced as early as 60 A.D. when seeds were treated with wine and crushed cypress leaves to deter insects from destroying them while in storage (Munkvold et al. 2006 7). Also, during the Egyptian and Roman periods sap from onion was used; in the Middle Ages, chlorine salts and liquid manure, and; in the 1600s, hot water started to become a ST method, one that is still being used even to this day (Australian Seed Federation 2010). The earliest treatment for wheat seeds was accidentally discovered in the 17th century when a ship carrying a load of wheat grains sank. When grains that got soaked in the seawater were recovered from the sunken ship and were planted they produced plants that have less bunt or stinking smut than the usual crops planted using ordinary seeds. Thus, soaking seeds in seawater became one of the earliest treatments to seeds to prevent bunt until in the year 1750 a Frenchman discovered that salt and lime can control bunt in wheat significa ntly. The advent of the mercurial compounds in the 1920s, although later banned, had revolutionised contemporary seed treatment (Munkvold et al. 2006 7).

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Industrial Waste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial Waste - Essay Example Both criminals and legitimate entrepreneurs sense handsome profits from this excess of hazardous waste, from steering a flow of harmful substances along the path of least resistance toward what they hope will be a final resting place. "I'd slash my wrists if I didn't think that there is enough greed in the world to find someone to take Philadelphia's trash," said one official of that city (Perks, 1986). All too often, however, the waste ends up in poor communities, migrating within the United States from the industrial Northeast to the more rural South; or in Great Britain, from England to Wales. Similarly, on the world stage, hazardous waste from the industrialised nations frequently has a one-way ticket to the developing world. Some Africans have even equated the traffic in toxic waste to the slave trade, although the direction has been reversed: the toxic substances that the industrialised world wishes to discard now flow to the developing world. More than 3 million tons of wastes were shipped from the industrialised world to less-developed nations between 1986 and 1988, according to the environmental organisation Greenpeace (Portney, 1991). Sometimes the deals were made with the approval of governments, sometimes not. The amounts of money to be earned from waste imports were so large that despite the health and environmental risks, some impoverished nations felt they could not refuse to enter this trade. The West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, for example, hoped to make $120 million a year, more than its total annual budget, by agreeing to store industrial wastes from other countries, until public protest over the hazards involved forced the government to back out. A series of odysseys in the late 1980s first drew worldwide attention to the issue of waste exports. Ships laden with hazardous wastes were refused admittance by country after country and, with their cargoes of poison still aboard, sent back to roam the seas. The gravest danger to less developed countries, however, stems not from vagabond ships carrying deadly cargo, but from the legal, routine shipments of "recyclable" wastes: mercury residue, lead-acid batteries, and other refuse from which valuable materials are extracted by low-paid Third World laborers and then reprocessed or sold for reuse. This extraction often takes place in plants filled with choking fumes and lead dust, where workplace safety rules and enforcement are far less stringent than those in the First World. Both the workers and the people living near these factories are threatened as a consequence of this legal recycling trade. According to industry estimates, at least 70 million automobile batteries were discarded in the United States each year during the 1990s, a figure that translates to roughly 70 million gallons of sulfuric acid and more than a billion pounds of lead. Although the United States has one of the world's safest and most sophisticated systems for recycling its used batteries, anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of them end up dumped unceremoniously by the side of a road, thrown away with the regular garbage or just left in a garage and forgotten. Of the 80 percent or more that are recycled, a substantial number are sent overseas, where they are smashed apart, melted down in lead smelters like those in Brazil and poured into