Question regarding private companies and pollution vs. libertarianism.

[Lord Xar]

Someone posed the questions (and I have my own personal feelings, curious what others feel) --

What if a car company created a car that leaked pollution and that pollution caused cancer in a loved one. In a non-government regulatory environment, what would be the recourse or solution here? Regulations? Suing etc..

It is that same old argument with government invovlement vs. private property etc...

[TastyWheat]

If worse comes to worst then people should be free to sue companies for the ill effects of using their products. Other than that it's just another niche that the free market can fill. Plenty of organizations already perform plenty of tests and reviews on cars, it wouldn't take much more to do simple emmissions testing. Obviously though its in the best interest of car companies not to kill their customers.

[Conza88]

Someone posed the questions (and I have my own personal feelings, curious what others feel) --

What if a car company created a car that leaked pollution and that pollution caused cancer in a loved one. In a non-government regulatory environment, what would be the recourse or solution here? Regulations? Suing etc..

It is that same old argument with government invovlement vs. private property etc...

Law, Property Rights and Air Pollution (http://mises.org/daily/2120) - Rothbard. All you need to read really.

Contents:

Law as a Normative Discipline
Physical Invasion
Initiation of an Overt Act: Strict Liability
The Proper Burden of Risk
The Proper Burden of Proof
Strict Causality
Liability of the Aggressor Only
A Theory of Just Property: Homesteading
Nuisances, Visible and Invisible
Owning the Technological Unit: Land and Air
Air Pollution: Law and Regulation
Collapsing Crime Into Tort
Joint Torts and Joint Victims
Conclusion

[DamianTV]

Solution? Free Market.

When people are aware of what they are being offered, be it toxic cars vs better cars, toxic food vs healthy food, etc. the Free Market puts the crap products that people dont want out of business. In the world we live in, those toxic companies are usually owned by people who hold high positions in the Govt, in which case the Free Market starts to oust them, they give their companies bailouts, Government Funding, and pass laws prohibiting their competition.

The wolves do not form a pack for the benefit of the hunted.