There are a variety of car brands you see on the street as you walk around Atlanta. From Acura to Telsa, you can find every make and model of just about every car you can imagine. However, one all-American car brand stands out: Ford. The Model T was one of the first cars that was accessible for the common man to purchase. However, the Ford Motor Company has a dark history as well. Some of this history is outlined in the documentary Mann V. Ford, which was released in 2011. The documentary works to outline the improper waste management of the Ford Motor Company and the lasting impact it has had on the land and the health of the nearby Ramapough Natives. This review of the documentary will hopefully convince you to watch it and hear directly from the people impacted by the unethical behavior of Ford.
The Ramapough Natives are a group of indigenous Americans who live in the New York-New Jersey area of the United States. A major community of these natives live in Ringwood, New Jersey, which is also where a major landfill was located. From 1967 to 1974, Ford dumped discarded car parts, solvents, and paint into this landfill (Campbell, 2005). Much of this paint and waste contained hazardous materials such as lead and arsenic, which are incredibly toxic to humans. In fact, exposure to lead has been shown to cause damage in almost every system in the body, but most specifically the central nervous system, the kidneys, and the blood (Tong et al., 2000). These health complications were very common among the Ramapough People as a result of the negligence of Ford Motor Company. There is an increased prevalence of lung and reproductive cancer among the Ramapough people who grew up in the area around The Ringwood Landfill (Meltzer et al., 2020).
Now that the surrounding circumstances have been laid out, it is important to discuss the reason why the documentary is called Mann V. Ford. In 2005, Wayne Mann, a member of the Ramapough Nation, represented the people of his community in a lawsuit against the Ford Motor Company, which is where the name was born. I won’t go into enough details to spoil the outcome, but I will say that the Ramapough People are still struggling with the aftermath of their land being poisoned. Despite the EPA classifying the site as a Superfund, the land is still under surveillance for things such as heavy metals. I cannot speak on behalf of the native people, which is why I implore you to watch the documentary and listen to their lived experiences. This case is a fantastic representation of the inequality that is associated with environmental health and safety. Although it may not impact you directly, it is important to be aware of the plight thousands of people face on a daily basis.
Sources
Campbell, M. B. M. (2005). Ringwood, Passaic County Ringwood Mines/Landfill Former Superfund Site Petition March 24, 2005.
Meltzer, G., Avenbuan, O., Wu, F., Shah, K., Chen, Y., Mann, V., & Zelikoff, J. T. (2020). The Ramapough Lunaape Nation: Facing Health Impacts Associated with Proximity to a Superfund Site. Journal of Community Health, 45(6), 1196-1204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00848-2
Tong, S., Schirnding, Y. E. v., & Prapamontol, T. (2000). Environmental lead exposure: a public health problem of global dimensions. Bulletin of the world health organization, 78(9), 1068-1077.
