Examining the Helena Chemical Company Using a “Rawlsian Lens” At the turn of the 21st century, the already vulnerable residents of Mesquite, New Mexico, received unequal distribution of air , water and other types of pollution due to a nearby multinational called Helena Chemical. I will examine the Helena Chemical Company using justice theory, considering vulnerability, and examining cases between the Mesquite community and Helena Chemical. Most people living in Mesquite are a vulnerable population. Researchers Gochfeld and Burger distinguish the most vulnerable groups as usually minority and low-income populations, because they are more likely to have potentially higher exposure to environmental pollution, as well as a high susceptibility to adverse effects resulting from this exposure. toxins. According to political writer Hamida Kinge, nearly half of Mesquite residents live below the poverty line and only 7.5 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher (YEAR). Mesquite is a 95% Hispanic community, with most of its citizens holding working-class jobs, said Lisa Jackson, a former EPA administrator. The reason behind the high risk factors for vulnerable groups is unequally distributed environmental damage (Gochfeld and Burger YEAR). Mesquite, New Mexico is a very small city and not large enough to be known by most people outside of the New Mexico-Mexico border area. In addition to a few restaurants, grocery stores, and local shops, one of the largest employers in Mesquite is the Helena Chemical Company. Helena Chemical employs 40 of the town's 1,500 residents to store and sell fertilizers and pesticides to local farmers (Jackson). The Mesquite community was increasingly concerned… action. If they had used Reflective Balance they would not have known how their decisions and actions would affect them at the time they selected it. Due to human nature, as well as corporations, like Helena, becoming greedy and selfish, too much emphasis is placed on reason, rather than the safety, justice, and well-being of others. If Helena were to shed her preconceptions of wanting to increase profits at the expense of others, she might be able to put herself in the shoes of citizens living near pollution. The amount of air and water pollution that Helena Chemical had cost Mesquite's underserved and vulnerable population and the way the company handled its practices were unethical. Rawl's theory of justice also demonstrates that Helena Chemical made many unethical and unfair decisions towards the vulnerable residents of Mesquite, New Mexico..