From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
Chemical accidents are
unanticipated releases,
explosions,
fires and other harmful
incidents involving
toxic and hazardous materials.
While chemical accidents may occur
whenever toxic materials are
stored, transported or used, the
most severe accidents tend to
involve major chemical
manufacturing and storage
facilities. Significant events
include the
Bhopal
industrial disaster of 1984,
which released a highly toxic gas
at a
Union Carbide pesticides
facility and killed more than
2,000 people.
Efforts to prevent accidents
range from improved safety systems
to fundamental changes in chemical
use and manufacture, referred to
as primary prevention or inherent
safety.
In the U.S., concern about
chemical accidents after the
Bhopal disaster led to the passage
of the 1986
Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act. The
EPCRA requires local emergency
planning efforts throughout the
country, including emergency
notifications. The law also
requires companies to make
publicly available information
about their storage of toxic
chemicals. Based on such
information, citizens can identify
the vulnerable zones in which
severe toxic releases could cause
harm or death.
In 1990, the U.S. Chemical
Safety and Hazard Investigation
Board was established by Congress,
though the CSB did not become
operational until 1998. The
Board's mission is to determine
the root causes of chemical
accidents and issue safety
recommendations to prevent future
accidents.
