Hazardous Chemical Accidents Research Articles

Managing major chemical accidents in China: Towards effective risk information

Chemical industries, from their very inception, have been controversial due to the high risks they impose on safety of human beings and the environment. Recent decades have witnessed increasing impacts of the accelerating expansion of chemical industries and chemical accidents have become a major contributor to environmental and health risks in China. This calls for the establishment of an effective chemical risk management system, which requires reliable, accurate and comprehensive data in the first place. However, the current chemical accident-related data system is highly fragmented and incomplete, as different responsible authorities adopt different data collection standards and procedures for different purposes. In building a more comprehensive, integrated and effective information system, this article: (i) reviews and assesses the existing data sources and data management, (ii) analyzes data on 976 recorded major hazardous chemical accidents in China over the last 40 years, and (iii) identifies the improvements required for developing integrated risk management in China.

The situation of hazardous chemical accidents in China between 2000 and 2006

From the aspects of the total quantity of accidents, regional inequality, enterprises scale and environmental pollution accidents, this study makes an analysis of hazardous chemical accidents in China for the period spanning from 2000 to 2006. The following results are obtained: firstly, there were lots of accidents and fatalities in hazardous chemical business, i.e., the number of casualty accidents fluctuated between 200 and 600/year, the number of fatality fluctuated between 220 and 1100/year. Secondly, the accident rate in developed southeast coastal areas, e.g., Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, was far higher than that in the northwest regions, e.g., Xizang, Xinjiang, and Qinghai. Thirdly, nearly 80% of dangerous chemical accidents had occurred in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Finally, various sudden environmental pollution accidents resulted from hazardous chemicals were frequent in recent years, causing a huge damage to human and property. Then, based on the readjustment of economic structure in the last decades, the development status of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in SMEs and other factors, the paper explores the main causes, which offers valuable insight into measures that should be taken to reduce hazardous chemical accidents.

Operational atmospheric modeling system CARIS for effective emergency response associated with hazardous chemical releases in Korea.

The Chemical Accidents Response Information System (CARIS) was developed at the Center for Chemical Safety Management in South Korea in order to track and predict the dispersion of hazardous chemicals in the case of an accident or terrorist attack involving chemical companies. The main objective of CARIS is to facilitate an efficient emergency response to hazardous chemical accidents by rapidly providing key information in the decision-making process. In particular, the atmospheric modeling system implemented in CARIS, which is composed of a real-time numerical weather forecasting model and an air pollution dispersion model, can be used as a tool to forecast concentrations and to provide a wide range of assessments associated with various hazardous chemicals in real time. This article introduces the components of CARIS and describes its operational modeling system. Some examples of the operational modeling system and its use for emergency preparedness are presented and discussed. Finally, this article evaluates the current numerical weather prediction model for Korea.

Analyzing exposure of school children to accidental releases of hazardous substances.

Concerns regarding consequences of hazardous chemical accidents and children's environmental health have increased substantially in recent years. The objectives of this paper are to: (a) demonstrate a methodology for identifying areas potentially exposed to accidental releases of hazardous substances in a large metropolitan region (Hillsborough County, Florida); (b) examine the number and type of schools and school children at risk; and (c) explore the relationship between potential exposure levels and school enrollment patterns in the region. Methods based on the integration of environmental modeling and geographic information systems (GIS) technology are used to achieve these goals. The results indicate that almost 80% of schools and enrolled students in the study area is potentially exposed to worst-case accidents. Compared to elementary school children, a higher proportion of middle school children and a lower proportion of high school students are exposed to multiple releases of hazardous chemicals. A significant and negative association is observed between exposure levels and school enrollment size, which suggests fewer children in regions of highest exposure.

Management of chemical disaster victims.

Following a hazardous chemical accident, early critical care life support is crucial to minimizing potential morbidity and mortality (1). Providing effective care to victims, however, depends on the nature of the incident, the number of victims affected, the availability of medical care, the coordination of rescue efforts, the available modes of evacuation, and the availability of post-evacuation tertiary care. The goal in mass casualty scenarios is to minimize mortality and morbidity. Consequently, the most basic emergency response must include a method for assessing the incident, the extent of injury to victims, methods for determining which victims will receive treatment first, and what types of treatment will be given during the various stages of the incident. The basic need to handle hazardous chemical incident victims exists regardless of the environment in which the incident occurs, or whether small or large numbers of victims are involved.

Assessment of Chemical Loadings to Newark Bay, New Jersey from Petroleum and Hazardous Chemical Accidents Occurring from 1986 to 1991

Newark Bay, New Jersey, is particularly vulnerable to ecological damage from accidental petroleum and chemical spills due to the enclosed nature of the bay and the large volume of chemical and petroleum commerce within the region. A review of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy′s database of hazardous chemical spills in New Jersey waterways was conducted to determine the frequency and volume of chemical and petroleum spills in Newark Bay and its major tributaries. Accidents reported from 1986 to 1991 were extracted from the database and summarized. The compilation of records indicated that 1400 incidents, resulting in the release of more than 18 million gallons of hazardous materials to the estuary had been reported to state officials. The bulk of the chemicals released to the aquatic environment were petroleum products, specifically No. 2 Fuel Oil (4,636,512 gallons) and No. 6 Fuel Oil (12,600,683 gallons). The majority of the reported incidents occurred in the Arthur Kill and its tributaries. The results indicate that accidental discharge of petroleum and other hazardous chemicals to Newark Bay represents a significant ongoing source of chemical pollution.