ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS Industrial Accidents, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Chemical Spills
Some Large-Scale Disasters 1952 – London, England London Smog Disaster 1956 – Minamata, Japan Mercury Spill in Bay 1969 –Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH River Caught Fire 1978 - Love Canal, Niagara, NY Chemical Waste in Suburbia 1978 – Three Mile Island, Harrisburg, PA Nuclear Power Meltdown 1978 – Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill 1984 – Bhopal, India Cyanide Air Release 1986 – Pripyat, Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant Explosion Chernobyl 1989 – Prince William Sound, Alaska Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
LONDON SMOG DISASTER 1952
London Smog Disaster 1952 From Dec 5 to Dec 9, 1952, a poisonous and cloudy layer of smog descended onto the city of London. An estimated 4000 people died from it. Road, rail, and air transport were brought to a halt. Many others would have suffered long term consequences of respiratory illnesses. There are stories of people trying to claw their way along buildings to find their way down the street.
“The Great Smog” Examples of daily amounts of pollutants released in the air at the time include: 1000 tonnes of smoke 2000 tonnes of carbon dioxide 140 tonnes of hydrochloric acid 14 tonnes of fluorine compounds 370 tonnes of sulfur dioxide
London Smog Disaster
Minamata, Japan 1956 - Mercury Spill
Minamata – What happened? A plastic manufacturing company, the Chisso Factory, dumped mercury waste into the bay, and local people ate fish from the water. 900 people died Approximately 3000 contracted Minamata Disease
Minamata– Infected Area
Minamata Disease
Minamata Disease
Cuyahoga River Fire 1969
Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, OH In 1969, the river caught fire due to the large amount of debris and oil that had accumulated on the surface. United States was forced to take serious action against water pollution.
Cuyahoga River Fire 1969
“Burn On” by Randy Newman - 1972 There's a red moon rising On the Cuyahoga River Rolling into Cleveland to the lake There's a red moon rising ON the Cuyahoga River Rolling into Cleveland to the lake There's an oil barge winding Down the Cuyahoga River Rolling into Cleveland to the lake There's an oil barge winding Down the Cuyahoga River Rolling into Cleveland to the lake Cleveland city of light city of magic Cleveland city of light you're calling me Cleveland, even now I can remember 'Cause the Cuyahoga River Goes smokin' through my dreams Burn on, big river, burn on Burn on, big river, burn on Now the Lord can make you tumble And the Lord can make you turn And the Lord can make you overflow But the Lord can't make you burn Burn on, big river, burn on Burn on, big river, burn on
Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY 1978
Love Canal 1978 What happened? A chemical company used the area as a chemical dump until 1952, then covered it with soil, and sold it to the city of Niagara Falls for residential building lots.
Love Canal 1978 People complained of strange odors, illnesses and unexplained cancers. Eventually relocated homes
Love Canal 1978
Love Canal 1978
Three Mile Island, Harrisburg, PA 1978
Three Mile Island 1978 A nuclear reactor had a meltdown. What happened? A nuclear reactor had a meltdown. No nuclear material was released into the surrounding area, but a general fear about nuclear power was propelled in the United States.
Amoco Cadiz 1978
Amoco Cadiz 1978 A super tanker ran aground off the coast of Western Europe and spilled 1.6 million barrels of crude oil. The 3,730 km2 oil slick covered 320 km of beaches, and destroyed countless fish habitats. More than 20000 dead birds were collected.
Amoco Cadiz
Amoco Cadiz 1978
Amoco Cadiz 1978
Bhopal, India 1984
Bhopal, India 1984 What happened? Union Carbide company accidentally released cyanide into the air. 15,000 people died, 150000 to 600000 people suffered from respiratory problems.
Bhopal, India 1984 - Cyanide Poisoning
Bhopal, India 1984
Bhopal, India 1984
Chernobyl, Pripyat, Ukraine, 1986
Chernobyl – What Happened? A nuclear power plant had a reactor meltdown releasing 300x the amount of radioactive material as Hiroshima. The reactor melted down because several safety measures had been disabled. 56 people died immediately and 336,000 were evacuated and relocated. There was also a 10 km lethal dose to all trees and small mammals in the area. There is a 30 km radius no-residence zone to this day. There were, and still are, thousands of indirect deaths due to radiation-induced cancer. Also, there have been numerous genetic effects, including birth defects.
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Exxon Valdez – Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1989
Exxon Valdez 1989
Exxon Valdez 1989 A tanker struck a reef and spilled 3.5 million barrels of oil. It was very difficult to clean up and costly, 1.25 billion dollars. There was an immediate death toll of 250,000 seabirds and the damage can still be seen today.
Exxon Valdez 1989