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From exploding fireworks to massive oil spills we count down 10 Devastating Industrial Disasters.
10. Enschede Fireworks Disaster – A small town in Netherlands experienced a massive
firework explosion that certainly wasn’t planned in May of 2000. A fireworks warehouse
caught fire and set off hundreds of explosions, like
a giant bomb going off. The blast was heard and
seen throughout the town, while other parts of the town caught fire. 177 tons of
Fireworks going off caused over 20 people to be killed in the incident, and nearly 1000
injured. 1500 buildings were damaged in the disaster,
and it was a day the city of Enschede, will never
forget.
9. Fukushima Explosion – Fukushima was not only the victim of a destructive tsunami in
2011, but also a nuclear explosion. Originally initiated
by an earthquake, which then led to the tsunami, the nuclear reactors emergency systems
all failed to keep the reactor cool during the
natural disaster. This led to overheating and then the massive explosion – the one
thing everyone fears about nuclear power plants.
The explosion ended up costing Japan $105 billion,
which was twice as much as they thought from the start.
8. Halifax Explosion – Back in 1917, when a French cargo ship intercepted a Norwegian
vessel in the Halifax Harbor, a massive explosion occurred, killing thousands of people. The
French cargo ship wasn’t just carrying normal freight. It was loaded with highly explosive
wartime weapons. A fire sparked which then set off the explosives and ended up killing
2,000 people.
7. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill – This oil spill was one of the worst oil spills in history,
causing chaos around the whole nation. When the Exxon
Valdez struck a reef off the coast of Alaska, 38 million gallons of crude oil spilled
into the waters. The spill lacked response teams,
and proper immediate clean up. But even after the response time was criticized, it was found
that the captain was mainly to blame due to his drinking problems. He was later fired,
however, that decision still didn’t help the hundreds
of miles along the coast that were covered in oil. The
disaster marks a turning point in history as to how to respond to disasters, due to
their effects on the environment.
#6 Texas City Disaster - The SS Grandcamp, which was carrying 2,300 tons of ammonium
nitrate back in 1947 was involved in the deadliest industrial accident in US history. The ammonium
nitrate was detonated early in the morning and activated a chain reaction along the ship.
Debris was sent thousands of feet into the air and across the town, destroying over 500
homes. The explosion took 581 lives that day, and all but one firefighter from the Texas
City Fire Department was killed. The event then went down in the record books as one
of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever. Over 5,000 people were injured in some way
during the disaster and 21 surrounding hospitals took in victims from the fires. From this
disaster came hundreds of lawsuits attacking the poor packaging and transportation of ammonium
nitrate. It was truly an industrial nightmare for the Port of Texas City back in 1947.
5. Rana Plaza Collapse – Just three years ago in 2013, the Rana Plaza underwent structural
failure and collapsed on everyone below. Like a popular mall, the building was home to clothing
factories, banks, apartments and other shops. Even though cracks were seen the day before,
proper maintenance was not taken, and the eight-story building then collapsed. Over
1,000 died in the destruction and roughly 2,500
were injured. Regarded as the deadliest accidental structural failure, the disaster made all
surrounding areas weary of their own buildings. Signs
were posted above the entrances stating that everyone should evacuate the building. However,
the business owners inside the buildings still tell their workers to ignore the warnings
because they say that “everyone has been too scared
since Rana Plaza’s collapse”
4. Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion – Oil riggers know what is at risk when the go to work.
It’s the reason why many don’t pursue the career,
and why it pays so well. Piper Alpha, an oil rig in
the North Sea showed just why working on these platforms is such a dangerous job. In 1988,
an explosion, due to improper valve checks, fractured the main oil line. A thick black
fog plagued the plant and turned the sky to night.
167 workers were killed that day, and the event is
seen as the worst offshore oil disaster in history.
3. Minamata Disease – Along the Shirauni bay in South Japan, the Chisso Corporation
industrial factory manufactured fertilizers and other chemicals. Its poor care for the
environment led them to depositing endless amounts of
waste into the Minamata Bay alongside the factory.
This waste contained methylmercury, which polluted the waters and shattered the fishing
and farming industry. The biogeochemical cycle
then spread the mercury throughout the villages and towns in the area. Reports showed that
people with an “unknown disease” had “loss of
motor control, paralysis, numbness, speech impairment, and ataxia.” The lack of cooperation
from the Chisso Corporation led to over 1,700 deaths, being the second most deadly industrial
disaster.
2. Chernobyl – This nuclear power plant in Ukraine is home of the most famous industrial
accident to date. While performing a safety test, a reactor ruptured, causing others to
explode with it. This ended up releasing radioactive
particles into the air, which not only affected the
plant itself, but much of the western USSR at the time. It is estimated that Chernobyl
released 400x more radioactive material than the atomic
bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. Many times since the incident, the Soviet government
has been accused of covering up radioactive poisoning caused by the plant. They lowered
radiation exposure limit, denied side effects from
the disaster, and lacked proper care for the people that were affected. Still today, 18
miles of the area is a part of the exclusion zone. Nevertheless,
people still illegally reside in the area and
refuse to leave.
1. Bhopal Gas Tragedy – During the winter of 1984, thousands of lives were lost in Bhopal,
India. Without any warning at all, 40 tons of lethal gas swept through Bhopal during
the night. Over the next few days, 3,700 people had died
due to the release of gas. It was the million dollar Union Carbide pesticide plant that
had accidentally released methyl isocyanate gas into the nearby towns. Multiple small
leaks, and mishaps months before the incident foreshadowed the disaster that took thousands
of lives. The minor impediments weren’t any harm to the area, but when a routine water
washing procedure took place, it all changed. Even though the plant wasn’t
actively producing pesticide at the time, it was the cleaning procedures that caused
the epidemic. It all went haywire when the Methyl
isocyanate reacted with the water, and 40 tons of lethal chemicals were released into
the air. 550,000 were injured and over 16,000 fatalities occurred in the proceeding months.
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