Man Made Disasters

Sanchit Kanwar

IX-B

Roll No-25

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MAN MADE DISASTER

Most important man made disasters are technological and industrial. Both of these occur as a result of misuse of technology, accidents etc. All the technological innovations have some risk which may cause hazards. Both of these disasters have no predictability as they occur suddenly. These are mostly attributed to human error. The causes of technological and industrial disasters may be lack of proper installations, lack of adequate training, lack of awareness, lack of safety measures, deactivation of safety system, sabotage from inside or outside. From the technological hazard point of view, 1984 was the worst year(Bhopal tragedy).

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CHEMICAL

INDUSTRIAL

FIRE

NUCLEAR

BIOLOGICAL

CHEMICAL Chemicals can be corrosive, toxic, and they may react, often explosively. By their nature, the manufacture, storage, and transport of chemicals are

accidents waiting to happen. The impacts of chemical accidents can be deadly, for both human being and

environment. Chemical disasters are also caused by industrial accidents. Eg:Bhopal gas tragedy(1984)

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NUCLEAR

A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or a multistage cascading combination of the two, though to date all fusion based weapons have used a fission device to initiate fusion, and a pure fusion weapon remains a hypothetical device.

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INDUSTRIALIndustrial disasters or accidents, which are disasters caused by industrial companies, either by accident, negligence or incompetence. They are a from of industrial accident where great damage, injury or loss of life are caused.

Other disasters can also be considered industrial disasters, if their causes are rooted in the products or processes of industry.

Eg: Great Chicago fire(1871, October 10).

BIOLOGICAL DISASTER

These are referred as poor man’s nuclear bomb as these are easy to manufacture, transport and have the ability to kill hundreds and thousands of people.

They are delivered using dusting airplanes or small perfumes atomizers. They have ability to generate immediate effects.

1)Sverdlovsk Anthrax Leak, Russia (1979)

2) Anthrax Attack, USA (2001)

3) Plague bacilli Attack, China (1932-45)

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A few virus which can be used for biological disasters:-8

FIRE

Fire is caused when a source of fire like naked flame, cigarette , electric spark or any source of ignition comes into contact with inflammable material. Bush fires, forest fires, and mine fires are generally started by lightning, but also by human negligence or arson. They can burn thousands of square kilometers. If a fire intensifies enough to produce its own winds and "weather", it will form into a firestorm. A good example of a mine fire is the one near Centralia, Pennsylvania. Started in 1962, it ruined the town and continues to burn today. Some of the biggest city-related fires are The Great Chicago Fire, The Peshtigo Fire (both of 1871) and the Great Fire of London in 1666.

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Bhopal disaster The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas

tragedy, was a gas leak  incident in India, considered the world’s worst industrial disaster. It occurred on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union carbide India limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals.

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Chernobyl disaster

The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR), which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the soviet union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.

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Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiThe atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of world war 2 in August 1945. To date the two bombings are the only instance of the use of nuclear weapons in wartime.

Following a firebombing campaign that destroyed many Japanese cities, the allies prepared for a costly invasion of japan. The war in Europe ended when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of surrender on May 8, 1945, but the pacific war continued. Together with the United Kingdom and china, the United States called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam declaration on July 26, 1945

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EndosulfanEndosulfan  is an off-patent organ chlorine insecticide and acaridae that is being phased out globally. The two isomers, endo and exo, are known popularly as I and II. Endosulfan sulfate is a product of oxidation containing one extra O atom attached to the S atom. Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor. Because of its threats to human health and the environment, a global ban on the manufacture and use of Endosulfan was negotiated under the Stockholm convention in April 2011.

Fukushima nuclear disaster

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a catastrophic failure at the fukushima nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011.

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For informative purpose only……..