Advertisement
| chemical disasters in history: Chemical Accident Christopher Lampton, 1994 Discusses the causes of chemical accidents, describes such disasters as the Bhopal catastrophe, and examines how such accidents can be prevented. |
| chemical disasters in history: Major Chemical Disasters Virginia Murray, 1990 |
| chemical disasters in history: Ethics Of Chemistry: From Poison Gas To Climate Engineering Joachim Schummer, Tom Borsen, 2021-02-08 'Overall, this collection of case studies provides an outstanding starting point for understanding the ethics of chemistry. It is an extremely important contribution to the study of chemical ethics … Ethics of Chemistry is a key resource for educators interested in integrating ethics instruction into their chemistry curricula … an important foundation for equipping students with the moral judgement and analytical skills necessary to contend with the ethical issues they are likely to face in their professional lives.'Nature Chemistry'… the book offers a general introduction to many relevant topics concerning the values, responsibilities, and judgements in (and of) chemistry. The volume could be helpful for university students and teachers or even general readers interested in the ethics of chemistry.' [Read Full Review]José Ramón Bertomeu-SánchezAmbixAlthough chemistry has been the target of numerous public moral debates for over a century, there is still no academic field of ethics of chemistry to develop an ethically balanced view of the discipline. And while ethics courses are increasingly demanded for science and engineering students in many countries, chemistry is still lagging behind because of a lack of appropriate teaching material. This volume fills both gaps by establishing the scope of ethics of chemistry and providing a cased-based approach to teaching, thereby also narrating a cultural history of chemistry.From poison gas in WWI to climate engineering of the future, this volume covers the most important historical cases of chemistry. It draws lesson from major disasters of the past, such as in Bhopal and Love Canal, or from thalidomide, Agent Orange, and DDT. It further introduces to ethical arguments pro and con by discussing issues about bisphenol-A, polyvinyl chloride, and rare earth elements; as well as of contested chemical projects such as human enhancement, the creation of artificial life, and patents on human DNA. Moreover, it illustrates chemical engagements in preventing hazards, from the prediction of ozone depletion, to Green Chemistry, and research in recycling, industrial substance substitution, and clean-up. Students also learn about codes of conduct and chemical regulations.An international team of experts narrate the historical cases and analyse their ethical dimensions. All cases are suitable for undergraduate teaching, either in classes of ethics, history of chemistry, or in chemistry classes proper. |
| chemical disasters in history: Advocacy after Bhopal Kim Fortun, 2009-05-04 The 1984 explosion of the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India was undisputedly one of the world's worst industrial disasters. Some have argued that the resulting litigation provided an innovative model for dealing with the global distribution of technological risk; others consider the disaster a turning point in environmental legislation; still others argue that Bhopal is what globalization looks like on the ground. Kim Fortun explores these claims by focusing on the dynamics and paradoxes of advocacy in competing power domains. She moves from hospitals in India to meetings with lawyers, corporate executives, and environmental justice activists in the United States to show how the disaster and its effects remain with us. Spiraling outward from the victims' stories, the innovative narrative sheds light on the way advocacy works within a complex global system, calling into question conventional notions of responsibility and ethical conduct. Revealing the hopes and frustrations of advocacy, this moving work also counters the tendency to think of Bhopal as an isolated incident that can't happen here. |
| chemical disasters in history: The Bhopal Saga Ingrid Eckerman, 2005 The Bhopal Saga Is An Incisive Analysis Of One Of The Worst Industrial Accidents That Has Taken Place In The Recent Past. It Also Discusses The Conflicting Stance Of The Union Carbide Corporation And The Government Of India On The Moral Responsibility For The Tragedy. |
| chemical disasters in history: Silent Spring Rachel Carson, 2002 The essential, cornerstone book of modern environmentalism is now offered in a handsome 40th anniversary edition which features a new Introduction by activist Terry Tempest Williams and a new Afterword by Carson biographer Linda Lear. |
| chemical disasters in history: Chemical Process Safety Roy E. Sanders, 2011-08-30 Gives insight into eliminating specific classes of hazards, while providing real case histories with valuable messages. There are practical sections on mechanical integrity, management of change, and incident investigation programs, along with a long list of helpful resources. New chapter in this edition covers accidents involving compressors, hoses and pumps. - Stay up to date on all the latest OSHA requirements, including the OSHA required Management of Change, Mechanical Integrity and Incident Investigation regulations - Learn how to eliminate hazards in the design, operation and maintenance of chemical process plants and petroleum refineries - World-renowned expert in process safety, Roy Sanders, shows you how to reduce risks in your plant - Learn from the mistakes of others, so that your plant doesn't suffer the same fate - Save lives, reduce loss, by following the principles outlined in this must-have text for process safety. There is no other book like it! |
| chemical disasters in history: 100 Disasters That Shaped World History Joanne Mattern, 2022-10-04 Action-packed true stories of the biggest disasters in history - perfect for fans of the I Survived series Discover how hurricanes, earthquakes, crashes, and other catastrophes have shaped world history! 100 Disasters That Shaped World History introduces kids of all ages to some of the most significant events in recorded history, from the Great Fire of London to the Challenger Disaster. This history book for kids features 100 easy-to-read true disaster stories: Find out how catastrophes have changed the course of history! Illustrated images: Each page includes an illustration to help bring history to life! A timeline, trivia questions, project ideas, and more: Boost your learning and test your knowledge with fun activities and resources! Engaging and packed with facts, 100 Disasters That Shaped World History is the perfect history gift for curious kids 8 and up! |
| chemical disasters in history: Gone at 3:17 David M. Brown, Michael Wereschagin, 2012-01-01 At 3:17 p.m. on March 18, 1937, a natural gas leak beneath the London Junior-Senior High School in the oil boomtown of New London, Texas, created a lethal mixture of gas and oxygen in the school’s basement. The odorless, colorless gas went undetected until the flip of an electrical switch triggered a colossal blast. The two-story school, one of the nation’s most modern, disintegrated, burying everyone under a vast pile of rubble and debris. More than 300 students and teachers were killed, and hundreds more were injured. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the catastrophe approaches, it remains the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history. Few, however, know of this historic tragedy, and no book, until now, has chronicled the explosion, its cause, its victims, and the aftermath. Gone at 3:17 is a true story of what can happen when school officials make bad decisions. To save money on heating the school building, the trustees had authorized workers to tap into a pipeline carrying “waste” natural gas produced by a gasoline refinery. The explosion led to laws that now require gas companies to add the familiar pungent odor. The knowledge that the tragedy could have been prevented added immeasurably to the heartbreak experienced by the survivors and the victims’ families. The town would never be the same. Using interviews, testimony from survivors, and archival newspaper files, Gone at 3:17 puts readers inside the shop class to witness the spark that ignited the gas. Many of those interviewed during twenty years of research are no longer living, but their acts of heroism and stories of survival live on in this meticulously documented and extensively illustrated book. |
| chemical disasters in history: Emergency Response Guidebook 2012 U.S. Department of Transportation, 2015-04-15 he official Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) is a guide for use by transporters, firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving a hazardous material. It is used by first responders in:(1) quickly identifying the specific or generic classification of the material(s) involved in the incident, and(2) protecting themselves and the general public during this initial response phase of the incident.The ERG is updated every three to four years to accommodate new products and technology |
| chemical disasters in history: Oil and Chemical Spills Peter Owens, 2004 Attempts to understand the impact and consequences of oil and chemical spills both to human life and the environment, as well as the measures being taken to reduce the danger of future accidents. |
| chemical disasters in history: What Went Wrong? Trevor Kletz, 1998-06-23 Expert Trevor Kletz examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters--almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.Learn from the mistakes of others. This invaluable and respected book examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong and why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.* Learn from the mistakes of others with this important book!* Examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - most of which could have been prevented* Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies |
| chemical disasters in history: Normal Accidents Charles Perrow, 2011-10-12 Normal Accidents analyzes the social side of technological risk. Charles Perrow argues that the conventional engineering approach to ensuring safety--building in more warnings and safeguards--fails because systems complexity makes failures inevitable. He asserts that typical precautions, by adding to complexity, may help create new categories of accidents. (At Chernobyl, tests of a new safety system helped produce the meltdown and subsequent fire.) By recognizing two dimensions of risk--complex versus linear interactions, and tight versus loose coupling--this book provides a powerful framework for analyzing risks and the organizations that insist we run them. The first edition fulfilled one reviewer's prediction that it may mark the beginning of accident research. In the new afterword to this edition Perrow reviews the extensive work on the major accidents of the last fifteen years, including Bhopal, Chernobyl, and the Challenger disaster. The new postscript probes what the author considers to be the quintessential 'Normal Accident' of our time: the Y2K computer problem. |
| chemical disasters in history: Disasters Man-made David White, Anton Riecher, 2011 Disasters Man-Made is the compilation of stories where firefighters battle the worst-case scenarios in industrial emergencies. The team that has made Industrial Fire World magazine the leading publication in industrial emergency response has put together a chronicle of industrial crises big and small, detailing how responders deal with a rapidly evolving crisis that threatens lives, property and livelihoods. These are the details that you won't hear on the 5 O'Clock News about firefighters weighing their lives against the economic impact of a community losing a plant or refinery. |
| chemical disasters in history: Incidents That Define Process Safety CCPS (Center for Chemical Process Safety), 2013-07-01 Incidents That Define Process Safety describes approximately fifty incidents that have had a significant impact on the chemical and refining industries' approaches to modern process safety. Events are described in detail so readers get a fundamental understanding of the root causes, the consequences, the lessons learned, and actions that can prevent a recurrence. There are exhaustive investigative reports about these events, allowing you to apply the resulting safety principles to their current operations. |
| chemical disasters in history: Hazardous Materials Incidents Chris Hawley, 2002 Marked by its risk-based response philosophy, Hazardous Materials Incidents is an invaluable procedural manual and all-inclusive information resource for emergency services professionals faced with the challenge of responding swiftly and effectively to hazardous materials and terrorism incidents. Easy-to-read and perfect for use in HazMat awareness, operations, and technician-level training courses, this Operations Plus book begins by acquainting readers with current laws and regulations, including those governing emergency planning and workplace safety. Subsequent chapters provide in-depth information about personal protective equipment and its limitations; protective actions ranging from site management and rescue through evacuation and decontamination; product control including the use of carbon monoxide detectors; responses to terrorism and terrorist groups; law enforcement activities such as SWAT operations and evidence collection; and more! A key resource for every fire, police, EMS, and industrial responder, Hazardous Materials Incidents is one of the few books available today that is modeled on current ways of thinking about HazMat and terrorism responses and operations. |
| chemical disasters in history: What Went Wrong? Trevor A. Kletz, 1985 |
| chemical disasters in history: Responsible Care Jean Bélanger, Maria Topalovic, Joanne West, 2013-12-19 Responsible Care – A Case Study is the first book of its kind to provide insight into the development and evolution of Responsible Care and its influence of societal outcomes on the basis of case studies. It provides readers in industry, government, and academia with the principles and innovative thinking associated with the Responsible Care ethic as a means to promote and implement such advanced concepts in their own institution. The book is not only a teaching aid for university curriculum, it also serves as a practical tool to industrial management and staff to improve industrial policies. The last chapter illustrates a practical example of a workshop held at McMaster University, Canada, which can be used as a model for readers to use this book as an educational tool. |
| chemical disasters in history: Toxic Politics Michael Reich, 1991 |
| chemical disasters in history: Disasters and History Bas van Bavel, Daniel R. Curtis, Jessica Dijkman, Matthew Hannaford, Maïka de Keyzer, Eline van Onacker, Tim Soens, 2020-10-22 Disasters and History offers the first comprehensive historical overview of hazards and disasters. Drawing on a range of case studies, including the Black Death, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Fukushima disaster, the authors examine how societies dealt with shocks and hazards and their potentially disastrous outcomes. They reveal the ways in which the consequences and outcomes of these disasters varied widely not only between societies but also within the same societies according to social groups, ethnicity and gender. They also demonstrate how studying past disasters, including earthquakes, droughts, floods and epidemics, can provide a lens through which to understand the social, economic and political functioning of past societies and reveal features of a society which may otherwise remain hidden from view. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core. |
| chemical disasters in history: Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact Francis O. Adeola, 2012-09-27 Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact focuses on hazardous and toxic wastes releases, industrial disasters, the consequent contamination of communities and the environment, and the subsequent social impacts, including adverse health effects, deaths and property destruction, psychosocial problems, and community disruption. This book explains the emergence of a sociological study of risk and of natural, technological, and hybrid disasters, along with a review of the accumulated body of knowledge in the field. It is unique in its integration of sociological perspectives with perspectives from other disciplines when discussing the problems posed by technological hazards both in advanced industrialized societies and in the underdeveloped world. Francis O. Adeola extends the field through an innovative presentation of topics which up to now have had sparse treatment in sociology texts. This book starts by presenting the sociology of hazardous waste, risk, and disasters as a relatively new development, engendering both a growing passion and an increasing volume of empirical research among scholars. Next, it describes how hazardous and toxic wastes disposal, exposure, remediation, and proximate adverse health consequences have risen to the level of endemic social problem both in the United States and around the world. After discussing these cases in relation to contemporary theories of industrial and organizational disasters, Adeola delves into classifying of hazardous wastes, indicating the characteristics of each type of waste, and identifying what makes them especially dangerous to people and the environment. Other major topics addressed in the rest of the book include electronic waste (e-waste) as a new species of trouble in terms of the volume and toxicity of global e-waste generation and management, the environmental and health risks of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), case studies of contaminated communities within the United States and across the globe, the international flows of toxic waste, analysis of risk and environmental contamination by race and ethnicity in the United States, and the juxtaposition of the issues of environmental justice and human rights. With its many contributions to environmental sociology, Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact will be a valuable addition to the libraries of students, scholars, and practitioners interested in the intersection of toxic waste releases, human exposure to contaminants, and public health. |
| chemical disasters in history: The Cure for Catastrophe Robert Muir-Wood, 2016-09-06 We can't stop natural disasters but we can stop them being disastrous. One of the world's foremost risk experts tells us how. Year after year, floods wreck people's homes and livelihoods, earthquakes tear communities apart, and tornadoes uproot whole towns. Natural disasters cause destruction and despair. But does it have to be this way? In The Cure for Catastrophe, global risk expert Robert Muir-Wood argues that our natural disasters are in fact human ones: We build in the wrong places and in the wrong way, putting brick buildings in earthquake country, timber ones in fire zones, and coastal cities in the paths of hurricanes. We then blindly trust our flood walls and disaster preparations, and when they fail, catastrophes become even more deadly. No society is immune to the twin dangers of complacency and heedless development. Recognizing how disasters are manufactured gives us the power to act. From the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 to Hurricane Katrina, The Cure for Catastrophe recounts the ingenious ways in which people have fought back against disaster. Muir-Wood shows the power and promise of new predictive technologies, and envisions a future where information and action come together to end the pain and destruction wrought by natural catastrophes. The decisions we make now can save millions of lives in the future. Buzzing with political plots, newfound technologies, and stories of surprising resilience, The Cure for Catastrophe will revolutionize the way we conceive of catastrophes: though natural disasters are inevitable, the death and destruction are optional. As we brace ourselves for deadlier cataclysms, the cure for catastrophe is in our hands. |
| chemical disasters in history: Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling: Report to the President, January 2011 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Dril, 2011-05-24 On April 20, 2010, the Macondo well blew out, costing the lives of 11 men, and beginning a catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and spilled nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill disrupted an entire region’s economy, damaged fisheries and critical habitats, and brought vividly to light the risks of deepwater drilling for oil and gas—the latest frontier in the national energy supply. Soon after, President Barack Obama appointed a seven-member Commission to investigate the disaster, analyze its causes and effects, and recommend the actions necessary to minimize such risks in the future. The Commission’s report offers the American public and policymakers alike the fullest account available of what happened in the Gulf and why, and proposes actions—changes in company behavior, reform of government oversight, and investments in research and technology—required as industry moves forward to meet the nation’s energy needs. |
| chemical disasters in history: NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards , 1985 Abstract: This pocket guide was developed to present technical information and data taken partly from the NIOSH/OSHA Occupational Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards in ready reference tables for workers, employers and occupational health professionals. Chemical names and synonyms, exposure limits, chemical and physical properties, recommended protective clothing and respirators, exposure routes, signs and symptoms, target organs, and first aid procedures are supplied for 397 federally regulated chemicals or types of chemicals ound in work environments. |
| chemical disasters in history: Chemical Reaction Hazards Katherine Barton, Richard Rogers, 1997-02-27 This revised edition of a best-selling book continues to provide a basis for the identification and evaluation of chemical reaction hazards for chemists, engineers, plant personnel, and students. Before undertaking the design of a chemical manufacturing process it is vital that the chemical reactions involved be fully understood, potential hazards assessed, and safety measures planned. Chemical Reaction Hazards aims to help the people responsible for this design and operation to meet the general duties of safety. Two major additions to this revised book are the appendices. One of these describes 100 incidents, illustrating their cause and indicating consequences if appropriate procedures within this guide are not followed. The second provides a practical example of a typical chemical reaction hazard assessment, from consideration of the process description, through experimental testing to the specification of safety measures. |
| chemical disasters in history: Corporate Killing Tara Jones, 1988 |
| chemical disasters in history: National Disaster Management Guidelines , 2007 With reference to India. |
| chemical disasters in history: Contextualizing Disaster Gregory V. Button, Mark Schuller, 2016-09-01 Contextualizing Disaster offers a comparative analysis of six recent highly visible disasters and several slow-burning, hidden, crises that include typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, chemical spills, and the unfolding consequences of rising seas and climate change. The book argues that, while disasters are increasingly represented by the media as unique, exceptional, newsworthy events, it is a mistake to think of disasters as isolated or discrete occurrences. Rather, building on insights developed by political ecologists, this book makes a compelling argument for understanding disasters as transnational and global phenomena. |
| chemical disasters in history: At Risk Piers Blaikie, Terry Cannon, Ian Davis, Ben Wisner, 2014-01-21 The term 'natural disaster' is often used to refer to natural events such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods. However, the phrase 'natural disaster' suggests an uncritical acceptance of a deeply engrained ideological and cultural myth. At Risk questions this myth and argues that extreme natural events are not disasters until a vulnerable group of people is exposed. The updated new edition confronts a further ten years of ever more expensive and deadly disasters and discusses disaster not as an aberration, but as a signal failure of mainstream 'development'. Two analytical models are provided as tools for understanding vulnerability. One links remote and distant 'root causes' to 'unsafe conditions' in a 'progression of vulnerability'. The other uses the concepts of 'access' and 'livelihood' to understand why some households are more vulnerable than others. Examining key natural events and incorporating strategies to create a safer world, this revised edition is an important resource for those involved in the fields of environment and development studies. |
| chemical disasters in history: Series on Chemical Accidents Guidance on Developing Safety Performance Indicators For Public Authorities and Communities/Public OECD, 2014-09-03 This Document was designed to serve as a tool to assist industrial enterprises, public authorities, and communities near hazardous installations world-wide develop and implement a means to assess the success of their chemical safety activities. |
| chemical disasters in history: Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief K. Bradley Penuel, Matt Statler, 2010-12-29 This encyclopedia covers response to disasters around the world, from governments to NGOs, from charities to politics, from refugees to health, and from economics to international relations, covering issues in both historical and contemporary context. The volumes include information relevant to students of sociology, national security, economics, health sciences, political science, emergency preparedness, history, agriculture, and many other subjects. The goal is to help readers appreciate the importance of the effects, responsibilities, and ethics of disaster relief, and to initiate educational discussion brought forth by the specific cultural, scientific, and topical articles contained within the work. Including 425 signed entries in a two-volume set presented in A-to-Z format, and drawing contributors from varied academic disciplines, this encyclopedia also features a preface by Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton of the 9/11 Commission. This reference resource examines disaster response and relief in a manner that is authoritative yet accessible, jargon-free, and balanced to help readers better understand issues from varied perspectives. Key Themes - Geography - Government and International Agencies - History - Human-induced Disasters - Infrastructure - Local Response - Major Disasters (Relief Case Studies) - Medicine and Psychology - Methods and Practices - Mitigation - Natural Disasters (Overviews) - Politics and Funding - Preparedness - Recovery - Response - Science and Prediction - Sociology - U.S. Geographical Response |
| chemical disasters in history: Guidelines for Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis , 1985 |
| chemical disasters in history: Clouds of Injustice Amnesty International, 2004 |
| chemical disasters in history: Havoc and Reform James P. Kraft, 2021-03-02 How disasters—that have wrecked work sites throughout American history, in all parts of the nation and all sectors of the economy—have also inspired policy reform. Workplace disasters have wreaked havoc on countless American workers and their families. They have resulted in widespread death and disability as well as the loss of property and savings. These tragic events have also inspired safety reforms that reshaped labor conditions in ways that partially compensated for death, suffering, and social dislocation. In Havoc and Reform, James P. Kraft encourages readers to think about such disastrous events in new ways. Placing the problem of workplace safety in historical context, Kraft focuses on five catastrophes that shocked the nation in the half century after World War II, a time when service-oriented industries became the nation's leading engines of job growth. Looking to growing areas of economic life in the Western Sunbelt, Kraft touches on the 1947 explosion of the Texas City Monsanto Chemical Company plant, the 1956 airliner collision over the Grand Canyon, the hospital collapses following the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, the 1980 fire at the Las Vegas MGM Grand, and the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. These incidents destroyed places of employment that seemed safe and affected a relatively wide range of working people, including highly trained, salaried professionals and blue- and white-collar groups. And each took a toll on the general public, increasing fears that anyone could be in danger of being killed or injured and putting pressure on public officials to prevent similar tragedies in the future. As Kraft considers how these tragedies transformed individual lives and specific work environments, he describes how employees, employers, and public leaders reacted to each event. Presented chronologically, his studies offer a unique and sobering outlook on the rise of a now vital and integral part of the national economy. They also underscore the ubiquity and persistence of workplace disasters in American history while building on and challenging literature about the impact of World War II in the American West. Within a broader frame, they speak to the double-edged nature of modern life. |
| chemical disasters in history: Five Past Midnight in Bhopal Dominique Lapierre, Javier Moro, 2009-05-30 A gripping, kaleidoscopic account of a horrific industrial disaster that shook the world, from wold-renowned humanitarian and internationally bestselling author Dominique Lapierre. It was December 3, 1984. In the ancient city of Bhopal, a cloud of toxic gas escaped from an American pesticide plant, killing and injuring thousands of people. When the noxious clouds cleared, the worst industrial disaster in history had taken place. Now, Dominique Lapierre brings the hundreds of characters, conflicts, and adventures together in an unforgettable tale of love and hope. Readers will meet the poetry-loving factory worker who unleashes the apocalypse, the young Indian bride who was to be married that terrible night, and the doctors who died that night saving others. |
| chemical disasters in history: Brownlie's Principles of Public International Law James Crawford, Ian Brownlie, 2019 Serving as a single volume introduction to the field as a whole, this ninth edition of Brownlie's Principles of International Law seeks to present international law as a system that is based on, and helps structure, relations among states and other entities at the international level. |
| chemical disasters in history: The Chernobyl Disaster Viktor Haynes, Marko Bojcun, 1988 An examination of the causes and consequences of the explosion at the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, looking at the events which led up to the accident, the lessons for the future of the industry and featuring first-hand accounts by survivors, rescue workers and eye witnesses. |
| chemical disasters in history: The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer Jennet Conant, 2020-09-08 The gripping story of a chemical weapons catastrophe, the cover-up, and how one American Army doctor’s discovery led to the development of the first drug to combat cancer, known today as chemotherapy. On the night of December 2, 1943, the Luftwaffe bombed a critical Allied port in Bari, Italy, sinking seventeen ships and killing over a thousand servicemen and hundreds of civilians. Caught in the surprise air raid was the John Harvey, an American Liberty ship carrying a top-secret cargo of 2,000 mustard bombs to be used in retaliation if the Germans resorted to gas warfare. When one young sailor after another began suddenly dying of mysterious symptoms, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Alexander, a doctor and chemical weapons expert, was dispatched to investigate. He quickly diagnosed mustard gas exposure, but was overruled by British officials determined to cover up the presence of poison gas in the devastating naval disaster, which the press dubbed little Pearl Harbor. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower acted in concert to suppress the truth, insisting the censorship was necessitated by military security. Alexander defied British port officials and heroically persevered in his investigation. His final report on the Bari casualties was immediately classified, but not before his breakthrough observations about the toxic effects of mustard on white blood cells caught the attention of Colonel Cornelius P. Rhoads—a pioneering physician and research scientist as brilliant as he was arrogant and self-destructive—who recognized that the poison was both a killer and a cure, and ushered in a new era of cancer research led by the Sloan Kettering Institute. Meanwhile, the Bari incident remained cloaked in military secrecy, resulting in lost records, misinformation, and considerable confusion about how a deadly chemical weapon came to be tamed for medical use. Deeply researched and beautifully written, The Great Secret is the remarkable story of how horrific tragedy gave birth to medical triumph. |
| chemical disasters in history: Global Chemicals Outlook United Nations, 2015-02-27 |
| chemical disasters in history: Disaster Medicine Gregory R. Ciottone, 2006-01-01 This new volume includes Individual Concepts and Events sections that provide information on the general approach to disaster medicine and practical information on specific disasters. You'll also find an exhaustive list of chapters on the conceivable chemical and biologic weapons known today, as well as strategies for the management of future events, or possible scenarios, for which there is no precedent.--BOOK JACKET. |
Chemical compound | Definition, Examples, & Types | Britannica
Chemical compound, any substance composed of identical molecules consisting of atoms of two or more chemical elements. All the matter in the universe is composed of the atoms of more …
Chemical reaction | Definition, Equations, Examples, & Types
May 12, 2025 · A chemical reaction is a process in which one or more substances, the reactants, are converted to one or more different substances, the products. Substances are either …
Chemistry | Definition, Topics, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica
Apr 24, 2025 · Most of the materials that occur on Earth, such as wood, coal, minerals, or air, are mixtures of many different and distinct chemical substances. Each pure chemical substance …
Periodic table | Definition, Elements, Groups, Charges, Trends,
May 10, 2025 · The periodic table is a tabular array of the chemical elements organized by atomic number, from the element with the lowest atomic number, hydrogen, to the element with the …
Chemical element | Definition, Origins, Distribution, & Facts
Apr 29, 2025 · A chemical element is any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes. Elements are the fundamental materials of which …
Benzene | Definition, Discovery, Structure, Properties, & Uses
May 9, 2025 · chemical bonding in benzene Benzene is the smallest of the organic aromatic hydrocarbons. It contains sigma bonds (represented by lines) and regions of high-pi electron …
Sodium hydroxide | Definition, Common Name, & Uses | Britannica
Chemical Safety Facts - Sodium Hydroxide; The Essential Chemical Industry - online - Sodium hydroxide
Reaction rate | Facts & Formula | Britannica
reaction rate, in chemistry, the speed at which a chemical reaction proceeds. It is often expressed in terms of either the concentration (amount per unit volume) of a product that is formed in a …
Nitrous oxide | Definition, Formula, Uses, Effects, & Facts - Britannica
May 15, 2025 · Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, one of several oxides of nitrogen, a colorless gas with pleasant, sweetish odor and taste, which when inhaled produces …
Alcohol Metabolism, Carcinogen, Toxicity - Britannica
Acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), an aldehyde used as a starting material in the synthesis of 1-butanol (n-butyl alcohol), ethyl acetate, perfumes, flavourings, aniline dyes, plastics, synthetic rubber, …
Chemical compound | Definition, Examples, & Types | Britannica
Chemical compound, any substance composed of identical molecules consisting of atoms of two or more chemical elements. All the matter in the universe is composed of the atoms of …
Chemical reaction | Definition, Equations, Examples, & Types - Bri…
May 12, 2025 · A chemical reaction is a process in which one or more substances, the reactants, are converted to one or more different substances, the products. …
Chemistry | Definition, Topics, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica
Apr 24, 2025 · Most of the materials that occur on Earth, such as wood, coal, minerals, or air, are mixtures of many different and distinct chemical substances. Each pure chemical …
Periodic table | Definition, Elements, Groups, Charges, Trends, & Facts ...
May 10, 2025 · The periodic table is a tabular array of the chemical elements organized by atomic number, from the element with the lowest atomic number, hydrogen, to the …
Chemical element | Definition, Origins, Distribution, & Facts | Brita…
Apr 29, 2025 · A chemical element is any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes. Elements are the fundamental …
