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ETHICAL DILEMMA WITH DESALINATION
Alexandra Lichty (Aml176@pitt.edu)
DESALINATION OVERVIEW
Desalination is the process of taking saline water,
water containing dissolved salts, and extracting the salts to
obtain fresh water [1]. There are multiple methods of
desalination including flash distillation, multiple effect
distillation, reverse omosis, and electrodialysis. Reverse
osmosis has shown to be the cheapest and most efficient
technology for desalination, therefore it is the process most
commonly used [2].
Reverse osmosis is the membrane process of forcing
salt water against the membranes under extreme pressure [3].
The membranes allow fresh water to pass through while the
concentrated salts get held behind. Assuming the clean water
flows on one side of the membrane and the other
concentration solution flows on the other, the clean water will
diffuse to the concentrated solution through the membrane,
which prevents the passage of the salts [2]. In conservation of
space, the membranes are packaged in a collection large tubes
in multiple layers [3]. The increasing pressure on the
concentrated side will stop the flow of water which causes
higher pressure on the solution [2]. This causes a reverse of
the water flow direction and for the transfer of the solution to
the membrane, obtaining uncontaminated water [2].
THE DILEMMA
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh
with a degree in Chemical Engineering, I became employed
as a researcher by General Electric Company, better known
as GE. At GE, I have been assigned to research desalination
methods and try to find a cheaper and more efficient way of
carrying out the process.
With an increasing world population and not having
fresh water obtainable in every part of the world, the need for
new desalination methods are essential. Due to the fact that
not every part of the world has access to clean water to carry
on their everyday needs, the push to find new methods that
can be used all over the world is one of the biggest needs of
this century. Through many hours of research, my team and I
recently developed a new membrane which would make the
reverse omosis process fifty percent more efficient. Now
desalinating water can be done in half the time as it used to
take. With our findings, more fresh water would be available.
With more fresh water available, the fresh water could
become accessible in numerous more places than before. My
team and I reported our findings to our colleagues and
supervisors and they were beyond thrilled with the results. For
several weeks, my team and I worked vigorously on finalizing
the new process in order to make its useable in the industry.
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
2014-10-28
However without any notice, the company began to market
and sell the new process with them knowing the new
membrane process was not fully developed. There were still
problems to be worked out with the new membrane to ensure
no harmful chemicals would be released during the process.
Through my research, I found that the membrane would only
hold for one or two years max. After the one to two years, the
membrane would degrade and release toxic chemicals into the
water, which could be harmful to anyone who drinks the
water’s health. I have been working to resolve this problem
so that the membrane would not degrade. When I informed
my supervisors about this potential problem, they did not
worry about it because it was yet to happen.
Ethics and the Dilemma
Developing a more efficient method of reverse
omosis would result in great benefits for my company, my
supervisors, and my team, which is always desired. My
supervisors believe that the sooner the launch of the
development occurs, the more benefits could come out of it.
They are afraid the longer we wait to release the development
that another company could come out with a better process.
This makes my supervisors willing to release the process
before it is finished developing. They are not concerned about
the potentially harmful outcomes, which is not ethically
correct. It is also not ethically correct for me to sit back and
let my company release a product with me know it is not fully
developed. If I let the company release the project and it
results badly, the blame getting put on me and I could lose my
job. Additionally, it would extremely hurt my reputation as an
ethical engineer. If I would try and stop the release, a new
company could release something better before our release so
all my team’s work would be for nothing and years of time
researching would be wasted. Also if I would try and stop the
release, I could end up upsetting my supervisors which could
hurt my employment at GE. There is no clear choice of what
should be done.
CODE OF ETHICS AND ENGINEERING
Engineering ethics are defined as the study of moral
issues and decisions and decisions confronting individuals
and organizations involving in engineering [4]. As
professional engineers, the use of ethics are crucial. In the
United States, a standard code of ethics are set for engineers
by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
Engineers in certain fields are also required to follow a code
of ethics set by their disciplinary area. The chemical
Alexandra Lichty
engineers’ code of ethics are set by the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers.
code and informed the client [8]. The engineer was then told
that the financing for the renovations fell through, therefore,
the alarm system was going to be fixed at a later date [8]. The
engineer said nothing and then went on his way. [8]. The
engineer in that situation should had immediately advised the
client that the problem needs to be address right away because
it is a safety risk for the building occupants and if the client
did not address these issues that he would have to report them
to the officials of a code violation [8]. This showed me that
the wellbeing and safety of the public needs to come first
before anything else no matter what it is.
Another problem I looked at was a recent
engineering graduate was hired by a constructive firm to
oversee the construction of an office building [9]. The design
calls for a protective coat to be applied to the steel beams
before use however the graduate observes that some of the
steel beams were covered by the wall before the coating was
applied [9]. The graduate informed the inspector but the
inspector moves on [9]. The engineer told his supervisor
about the issue and the engineer was told by to leave it alone
since the project was behind schedule [9]. This showed me
that the issue should not have gone away just because the
supervisor does not want it to put the project more behind
schedule. There is a possibility of harm to the public down the
road if the building is not build correctly. The engineer needs
to follow the code of ethics and stop the project from
continuing until the beam are done the right way.
The last problem I looked at was the case of a
structural engineer being told that his famous skyscraper had
a design flaw [10]. The engineer looked into the concern and
found that it was in fact true, strong winds could cause the
skyscraper to topple down which would kill thousands of
people [10]. Trying to fix the problem would require a
notifying the building’s owners and city officials [10]. This
would most likely lead to a negative impact on the engineer’s
career and he would be given a bad reputation. This taught
me that even though the engineer would get a bad reputation,
it would be better than putting people’s lives at risk. If the
engineer left the problem alone and something did happen to
the skyscraper, he is going to get a worse reputation for
knowing the building had a design flaw and did not do
anything about it than him trying to fix his mistake.
Using the Code of Ethics
According to the Engineering Code of Ethics from
the Nation Society of Professional Engineers, “engineers are
expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and
integrity” [5]. I interpret this as I need to be honest with
everyone and myself. If I know something is wrong, I need to
not lie about it and deal with the problem. This mean I cannot
ignore problems that are not ethically correct or where people
are being dishonest. The code of ethics also states that
engineers must “hold paramount the safety, health, and
welfare of the public.”[5]. Therefore, I cannot release
anything to the public if there is even a minor threat of it
causing harm to anyone or anything. To release something to
the public with the risk of anyone getting hurt is not just
ethically wrong, it is morally wrong.
According to the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers’ Code of Ethics, chemical engineers must “be
honest and impartial and serving with fidelity their employers,
their clients, and the public” [6]. I interpret that again as being
honest and fair to everyone and not hiding or trying to deceive
people. If I would lie or try to deceive people, in the long run
I could end up putting them into major harm. Likewise, the
chemical engineers code of ethics also says “formally advise
their employers or clients (and consider further disclosure, if
warranted) if they perceive that a consequence of their duties
will adversely affect the present or future health or safety of
their colleagues or the public.”[6]. I must advice anyone of
possible danger any product can cause them. The code of
ethics was not only developed for the public, but also to help
the safety and professionalism of engineers as well [7]. It
would not be right to release a product that has flaws that can
cause harm to the user or the worker. It is not ethically correct
to not warn the public or the worker of the possible dangers
of whatever they are using.
In addition, the NSPE says engineers must “conduct
themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so
as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the
profession” [5]. This means I must follow the code of ethics,
abide by the law, and be responsible in doing my job. If I do
not want to follow a part of the code of ethics, it is not right
for me to be an engineer. The code of ethics were put in place
to help keep people safe and to avoid problems.
MY FINAL DECISION
In making my final decision on what should be done
about the desalination dilemma, I looked at the code of ethics,
similar situations, and multiple articles on engineering ethics
to guide my decision.
The code of ethics showed me that as an engineering
I need to be honest, hold paramount the safety, health and
welfare of the public and other engineers, and that I need to
conduct myself in an honorable manor. Allowing my
company to market and release the reverse omosis process
with a new membrane that was not fully developed, I would
not be following numerous ethical codes. I cannot morally lie
SIMILAR PROBLEMS
In order for me to make a decision on what to do
about the dilemma which had risen, I wanted to look and see
how other dealt with similar problems like mine.
A similar case was that a fire protection engineer was
called by a client to provide a confidential report to check and
see if an old apartment building is up to code [8]. The engineer
discovered that the building’s alarm system was not up to
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Alexandra Lichty
[2] R. Semiat,
D. Hasson. (2012). “Water
desalination.” Reviews in Chemical Engineering. (Online
Article). DOI: 10.1515/revce-2011-0019. pp. 43-60.
[3] “Desalination.” (2014). Encyclopaedia Britannica.
(Website).
http://www.britannica.com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/EBchecked/topi
c/158740/desalination.
[4]W. Lynch, R. Kline. (2000).”Engineering Practice and
Engineering Ethics.” Science, Technology, & Human Values,
Vol. 25, No. 2. (Print). pp. 195-225.
[5] “NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers.” (2007). National
Society of Professional Engineers. (Online article).
http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html.
[6] “Code of Ethics.” (2008). AIChE. (Online article).
http://www.aiche.org/about/code-ethics.
[7] G. Geistauts, I. Baker, & T. Eschenbach, (2008).
“Engineering Ethics: A System Dynamics Approach.”
Engineering Management Journal. (Online Article). pp. 2128.
[8] “Public Health and Safety – Delay in Addressing Fire
Code Violations”. (2014). National Society of Professional
Engineers.
(Online
article).
http://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/BER%20Case%20No
%2013-11-FINAL.pdf.
[9] “Ethical Cases”. (2014). Texas Tec University. (Online
Article).
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.ph
p.
[10] “The Cost of Integrity”. (1999). Webguru. (Online
Article). http://www.webguru.neu.edu/professionalism/casestudies/cost-integrity.
to the public that this new membrane was fully developed and
ready to be used when it clearly is not and could be dangerous
to the public. Also, I cannot morally put people in risk of
drinking toxic chemicals that could be hazardous to their
health. In addition, I would not be conducting myself in an
honorable and responsible manor like I should be as an
engineer.
Therefore, my final decision was to stop my
supervisors from releasing this process until my team and I
were completely finished developing the membrane. The
code of ethics are too crucial to allow these things to slip
through the cracks. If something were to go wrong if I would
not have stopped the release, it would had been a huge setback
for my company and my team which was just not worth the
risk. I believe my decision to stop the release of the process
until it was finish was the right decision and given I am in a
similar situation again, I would make the same decision.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
Ethics is a major part of engineering. If you are not
ethical in your work, you could suffer major consequences. In
addition, depending on your work you could put others in
major harm. If I would not had stopped my company from
releasing the new technology before it was ready, in a few
years it could had ended up harming many people. If the
membrane did end up degrading and releasing toxic
chemicals into the water like I predicted, anyone who came in
contact with that water could develop major health problems.
It is always better to play it safe then to risk major flaws in
your work.
My advice to other engineers that get put in similar
situations is to always follow the code of ethics. If you follow
the code of ethics, you are not going to get in trouble. If
someone tells you to disregard them, they are not doing their
job right and they should be reprimanded. No job, amount of
money, award/recognize, or anything is worth doing
something ethically wrong. My opinion is that it would be
better to get fired for trying to follow the code of ethics rather
than getting fired for not following the code of ethics. If you
get fired for trying to follow the code of ethics you are
wrongfully being fired. If you do get fired for not following
the code of ethics, it is going to be hard to find another job
because you are not going to have a good and ethical
reputation that most employers want in their employees.
Following the code of ethics is always the best
option in every situation no matter what the outcome would
be.
ADDITONAL SOURCES
W. Bowen. (2009). “Engineering Ethics”. Outline of an
Aspirational Approach. (Online Article). DOI: 10.1007/9781-84882-224-5.
J. Basart and M. Serra. “Engineering Ethics Beyond
Engineers’
Ethics”.
(Online
article).
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11948-0119293-z
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all the people who helped me
with the writing of my paper. I would like to thank my writing
instructor, Ms. Libby Ferda, and the coordinator, Ms. Beth
Newborg. I would also like to thank my roommate, Jennifer
Debski, for proofreading my paper along with the writing
center instructors for help on the content of my paper.
REFERENCES
[1] “Provide Access to Clean Water.” (2014). NAE Grand
Challenges
for
Engineering.
(Online
Article).
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9142.aspx.
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