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 risingOn the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lake
There's a red moon risingON the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lake
There's an oil barge windingDown the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lake
There's an oil barge windingDown the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lake
Cleveland city of light city of magicCleveland city of light you're calling meCleveland, even now I can remember'Cause the Cuyahoga RiverGoes smokin' through my dreams
Burn on, big river, burn onBurn on, big river, burn onNow the Lord can make you tumbleAnd the Lord can make you turnAnd the Lord can make you overflowBut the Lord can't make you burn
Burn on, big river, burn onBurn on, big river, burn on
Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY 1978
Love Canal 1978What 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 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
