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ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS. Industrial Accidents, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Chemical Spills. 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

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ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS

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  1. ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS Industrial Accidents, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Chemical Spills

  2. 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 Some Large-Scale Disasters

  3. LONDON SMOG DISASTER 1952

  4. 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. London Smog Disaster 1952

  5. 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 “The Great Smog”

  6. London Smog Disaster

  7. Minamata, Japan 1956 - Mercury Spill

  8. 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 – What happened?

  9. Minamata– Infected Area

  10. Minamata Disease

  11. Minamata Disease

  12. Cuyahoga River Fire 1969

  13. 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, Cleveland, OH

  14. Cuyahoga River Fire 1969

  15. There's a red moon risingOn the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lakeThere's a red moon risingON the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lakeThere's an oil barge windingDown the Cuyahoga RiverRolling into Cleveland to the lakeThere'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 dreamsBurn 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 burnBurn on, big river, burn onBurn on, big river, burn on “Burn On” by Randy Newman - 1972

  16. Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY 1978

  17. 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.

  18. Love Canal 1978 • People complained of strange odors, illnesses and unexplained cancers. • Eventually relocated homes

  19. Love Canal 1978

  20. Love Canal 1978

  21. Three Mile Island, Harrisburg, PA 1978

  22. 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. Three Mile Island 1978

  23. Amoco Cadiz 1978

  24. 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.

  25. Amoco Cadiz

  26. Amoco Cadiz 1978

  27. Amoco Cadiz 1978

  28. Bhopal, India 1984

  29. 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.

  30. Bhopal, India 1984 - Cyanide Poisoning

  31. Bhopal, India 1984

  32. Bhopal, India 1984

  33. Chernobyl, Pripyat, Ukraine, 1986

  34. 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.

  35. Chernobyl

  36. Chernobyl

  37. Chernobyl

  38. Chernobyl

  39. Chernobyl

  40. Chernobyl

  41. Exxon Valdez – Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1989

  42. Exxon Valdez 1989

  43. 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

  44. Exxon Valdez 1989

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