The corporate world has a long and often shocking history of prioritizing profit over people. Before the establishment of critical regulations, companies operated in a largely unregulated environment where worker safety, environmental responsibility, and consumer rights were often ignored. The incoming administration wants to roll back regulations, we need to make sure they don’t go back too far. Here are ten examples of unthinkable practices that were once commonplace:
1. Child Labor in Dangerous Industries
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, children as young as five were employed in factories, mines, and textile mills. These children worked long hours under dangerous conditions, often suffering life-altering injuries or deaths. It wasn’t until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that child labor was effectively curbed in the United States.
2. Selling Toxic Products Without Warning
Before regulations like the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, companies routinely sold products containing hazardous substances. Radium-laced health tonics, arsenic-laden face powders, and lead-based paints were marketed without warnings, leading to illnesses and deaths among unsuspecting consumers.
3. Factory Fires and Locked Exits
One of the most infamous examples of corporate negligence was the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Over 140 workers, mostly young immigrant women, died because factory owners locked the exits to prevent theft and breaks. The tragedy sparked the creation of workplace safety laws.
4. Dumping Toxic Waste into Rivers
Before the Clean Water Act of 1972, companies freely dumped industrial waste into rivers and lakes. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio famously caught fire multiple times due to the amount of oil and chemicals polluting the water. These fires were a wake-up call, leading to environmental protections.
5. Selling Contaminated Food
At the turn of the 20th century, food production was largely unregulated. Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel The Jungle exposed horrifying practices in the meatpacking industry, such as rats being ground into sausage and meat tainted with chemicals. Public outrage led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906.
6. Exploiting Workers with 16-Hour Workdays
Before labor laws, workers—including children—were forced to work grueling hours in unsafe conditions for meager wages. The labor movement’s fight for the eight-hour workday and the creation of the Fair Labor Standards Act transformed the workplace.
7. Using Asbestos Without Protections
Asbestos, once hailed as a “miracle material,” was used widely in construction and manufacturing despite known health risks dating back to the early 20th century. Workers exposed to asbestos often developed mesothelioma and other deadly diseases. Regulations banning its use came too late for many.
8. Marketing Cigarettes as “Healthy”
In the mid-20th century, cigarette companies used doctors in advertisements to promote smoking as a healthy activity. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s, with the advent of Surgeon General warnings and advertising restrictions, that the truth about smoking’s health risks became widely acknowledged.
9. Polluting the Air with No Accountability
Before the Clean Air Act of 1970, factories belched toxic smoke into the air without restrictions. Cities like Pittsburgh and Los Angeles were choked with smog, leading to respiratory illnesses and premature deaths. Regulatory standards forced industries to install pollution controls, improving air quality.
10. Using Workers as Guinea Pigs for Dangerous Experiments
Before ethical oversight, companies exposed workers to hazardous experiments without consent. Shoe companies in the early 20th century used X-ray fluoroscopes to fit shoes, subjecting workers to repeated radiation exposure without protection. The resulting health issues, including cancer and burns, helped drive the creation of workplace safety regulations and ethical research standards.
While these unthinkable practices may seem like relics of the past, they serve as stark reminders of why regulations exist. Without oversight, profit-driven corporations often prioritize their bottom lines over the well-being of people and the planet. Regulatory protections are essential to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself and that human lives and the environment are safeguarded against exploitation.
