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We´ve all had those moments. The times when we´ve wondered whether what we do in our work is important.

I´m not talking about concerns of bottom-line results. Rather, it´s those middle-of-the-night or commute-to-work instances when we pause and take stock of our place in the world.

Well, allow me to allay any doubts of inadequacy that you, the environmental manager, may have. But to do so, we´ll need to turn our attention to Africa, the Ivory Coast specifically. News reports out of this west African nation tell of a toxic industrial waste dumping scandal that has rocked the country, toppling the government´s leaders.

In August, a petrochemical waste was illegally dumped at various sites around the city of Abidjan. The human toll: 10 deaths, 70 more hospitalized and more than 100,000 reported sick. Symptoms of survivors range from weeping blisters to nausea.

The Dutch company Trafigura shipped the waste to the Ivory Coast. Initially, the firm claimed the material was nontoxic when tested in Holland. More recent company statements, however, show it understands that those test results and the resulting deaths and illnesses are incongruous.

But Trafigura is not the only company or country that should be held accountable for this human and environmental disaster. Carrying the waste was the ship, Probo Koala, registered in Panama and managed by a Greek company. The hazardous material also made its way through ports in Estonia and Nigeria before docking in Ivory Coast. Indeed, blame can be shared by government officials, multiple companies´ employees and environmental managers along the route.

Even so, I fear that some Westerners will dismiss this situation as simply an African problem. A problem of a continent filled with nations that don´t have the human or technological resources that are readily at our disposal. That´s too simplistic an answer, though. This is not an African problem. Not with Greece, the Netherlands and others, to some level, all complicit in this affair.

No, this is an environmental mismanagement issue. The Ivory Coast and its citizens are only the victims of this latest misstep. Look at China. The polluting of the Yellow River last month and the Songhau River last year provide additional examples of how crucial managing waste is to health and safety.

So, rest assured you and your job matter. Whether it´s managing waste oil in Washington state or scrap tires in Texas, you´ve got a role to play. And your local communities and possibly those thousands of miles away are depending on you to do it well.

Brennan Lafferty is managing editor of Waste News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.