Saint Louis University

School of Engineering and Architecture

Chemical Engineering Department

FROM THE ASHES

A Reaction Paper

Submitted by:
VILORIA, Camille Andrea, V.

Submitted to:
Engr. Genevive S. de Vera

November 11, 2021

 Imagine your life in 1700s. You walk around town all the way to the market, pulling your
own cart. Even riding a horse is necessary and expensive. You neither have clean running water
flowing from taps nor electricity to supply energy to your home. There are no refrigerators, no
stoves to cook on, no washing machines, nor any modern appliances that you can think of.
Clocks haven’t even yet existed and you mostly base time in relationship to lunar and solar
cycles. What a difficult time to be born, isn’t it?

Interestingly, the standard way of living of people before 1700s isn’t any different from
aforementioned. There were no improvements. People in the 1700s lived their lives similar to
those of Neanderthals. Life did not change after that. Yet when people opened their eyes at the
end of 1800s, a newfound source of energy had been utilized, bringing about Industrial
Revolution. People began using coal-powered steam engines for textile production, they began
measuring time by the two hands of the clock, and some even had refrigerators to decrease food
spoilage. Rather than working in agriculture, people began investing their time to work on
mining and factories as a result of boost of job opportunities.

With the opening lines of the film From the Ashes by the National Geographic Channel
quoting Emerson, “coal is civilization and power,” it has come to our understanding that not only
coal induced power as a new kind of human civilization, but also, literally, power itself in the
form of energy. Coal was considered to be essential and indispensable, and there were no doubts
about it during the time.

But aside from coal being extremely revolutionary, problems with coal rose as years
passed by, and because it’s still being used up until the 21st century as a source of energy, more
and more people are becoming affected by the effects of the utilization of coal. This was
perfectly described by the film by saying, “Coal is a 19th century source of fuel being used in the
21st century.” With the shifting energy trends and the development of technology, it is expected
for people to use other energy sources other than coal, such as solar, wind, or geothermal energy.
But because coal is inexpensive and still is one of the most abundant energy sources in the world,
it’s relatively efficient, for generating electricity, at least.

When I say more people are becoming affected by the effects of the utilization of coal, I
meant a diverse variety of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, cancer, miscarriages for
women, and in worst cases, deaths. It was emphasized repeatedly in the documentary that
burning coal creates serious public health hazards. The toxic pollutants from air pollution
induces and worsens respiratory diseases, and byproducts from mining may contaminate the
water that people use for drinking and other household purposes.

Aside from the risks of people living in close proximity to coal mines and production, the
workers in coal mining themselves put themselves in danger, as mining is considered to be the
“most dangerous job in the world.” One of the hazards that coal miners have to face is the coal
dust; constant inhalation of it may cause pneumoconiosis, a lung disease that can lead to
difficulty or shortness of breath.

Coal mining and burning has a much greater impact on the environment, as well. Surface
mining makes land unusable for agriculture or