The guided tour through the Volklinger Factory was extremely informative, especially of the working conditions in the time of industrialism. Something I saw as unsettling was the amount of oil that entered the air in the engine room. Even after being out of use for twenty years, we were able to see the oil still leaking out of the engines. At the end of the work day, the floors would be covered in a black oily residue, making me terrified to imagine the amount of gooey black oil entered the lungs of those who worked with these engines for hours a day. The tour guide emphasized the oil pollution's effect on the city as well as he explained that in a matter of years, a house painted any color would turn a charcoal grey. I was surprised to learn that the city's inhabitants knew of how horrible the effects of this pollution was. Apparently the industrialists--basically the only people who could afford to do this-- would sent their families to the countryside once a year to experience fresh air and avoid lung disease. This was shocking to me because, in my opinion, everyone deserves the right to be healthy, but in this time period, it was only the wealthy who could actively avoid lung complications, because instead of trying to reduce the emission of pollution into the city, the problem was avoided altogether as Volklingen became the dirtiest (and richest) city of Europe.
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