Don't think we need the EPA, FDA, OSHA etc.?

1960: Thalidomide given to women in pregnancy causes birth defects or death in about 10k children

1970s: Love Canal 900 families affected by toxic chemicals in the ground under their homes.

1970s: Kerr-McGee plutonium processing plant workers exposed to harmful levels of radiation

1989: Exxon Valdez spills 750,000 gal. of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska

1990: Use of lead in gasoline and paint affects brain development in children

1990: Use of asbestos in buildings causing 100k premature deaths to miners and construction workers

1990s: Acid rain created by sulfur emissions from coal plants damages property and plant life

1991: Dumping of 20k gal of Vapam into Upper Sacramento River killing marine life in 38 mile radius

2000: Massey Energy dumps 306 million gal. of coal slurry into the Tug Fork River

2008: TVA Kingston coal plant 1.1 billion gal. of coal-ash slurry dumped into Cinch and Emory Rivers

2011: Deep Water Horizons well in the Gulf of Mexico explodes releasing 4.9 million gallons of oil

2013: ExxonMobil pipeline near Mayflower, AK spills as many as 19,000 barrels of oil

2013: West Fertilizer Company plant explodes killing 14 and injuring 200 more in West, Texas

Present: Coal plant operations release mercury into the air and water gradually accumulating in fish

Present: Release of chlorofluorocarbons depletes upper atmosphere ozone increasing UV radiation

Present: Chicago River remains closed to human activity due to commercial and residential pollution 

All but one in my lifetime....40% in the lifetime of my oldest child....3 new ones in the lifetime of my three-year-old.  Pretending that industry is benevolent and does not require regulation or regulators is akin to pretending that people are benevolent and do not require laws or police.  Commercial activity boosts quality of life and standards of living, as long as we keep an eye on each other and make sure we all are protected.

*Note:  This covers only a portion of the more widely known accidents caused by "legal" activities that were not initially caught by regulators or known by the general public until long after the activity.