5. Basra Poison Grain Disaster
In September of 1971 90,000 metric tons of American barley and Mexican wheat were shipped to the Iraqi port of Barsa. It was intended to be used as only seed grain and not to be directly ingested by the population. The barley and wheat was treated with antifungal methylmercury to prevent it from developing mold. The grain was dyed pink and the bags marked as poisonous, although warnings were printed in only Spanish and English. Some time after delivery to the port it was ransacked and many of the bags of grain were stolen. Subsequently they were sold to the local population. Almost immediately thousands of people reported mercury poisoning. Local hospitals and government aids knew something was terribly wrong. Iraqi officials kept the tragedy under wraps until an American reporter discovered the unusual and vast amount of reported poisonings. It is believed that around 500 people died from the barley and wheat, but some estimates are much higher.
4. New London School Explosion
In the middle of the 1930’s the Great Depression was hitting America hard. In 1930, oil was discovered in Rusk County, Texas, making this area of the United States the richest in the country. An enormous school was built in New London. The structure had 72 natural gas heaters installed. In 1937, the school district cancelled their natural gas contract and had a residue gas line installed to save money. This new raw gas line varied in the quantity of gas delivered to the building. In its natural state gas is both odorless, colorless, and leaks are undetectable. Nobody realized that gas had begun to escape and build in the enormous crawlspace underneath the structure. On March 18, 1937 an instructor at the school turned on an electric sander to do some work in the basement. Almost instantly a small spark caused the entire New London School to explode. It was completely demolished and approximately 300-500 students and teachers lost their lives. It remains the worst catastrophe to occur in a U.S. school building. This tragedy directly led to the law that thiols be added to natural gas. This way the strong odor of thiols can quickly help detect natural gas leaks.
3. Lake Nyos Disaster
Lake Nyos is an active crater lake located in the Northwest Province of Cameroon. When there is an enormous volcanic eruption that creates a large crater in the ground often a lake is formed. These lakes usually consist of fresh water and cover active volcanic vents. When this happens the water becomes acidic and fills with certain gases. Usually the turnover of these stratified waters occurs gradually and harmless amounts of the gases are periodically released into the atmosphere. Lake Nyos is one of three known lakes where a pocket of magma in the depths of the lake gradually leak carbon dioxide forming a pocket. This pocket builds up until one large natural phenomenon releases enormous amounts of the gas. On August 21, 1986 about 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 suddenly released from Lake Nyos. Scientists predict that this might have occurred after a landslide in the depths of the lake. The death cloud rushed down two valleys towards the villages of Cha, Nyos, and Subum. Everything within a 15-mile radius of the lake was killed. Approximately 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock were suffocated by the gas. It was the first known large scale asphyxiation caused by a natural occurrence. In the aftermath scientists decided to install tubes in the lake to allow the carbon dioxide to leak gradually in safe quantities.
2. Mount Pelée Eruption
The events surrounding the worst volcanic eruption of the 20th century are truly unique. Mt. Pelée towers over the city of Saint-Pierre, Martinique, an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea. In 1902, local residents began to notice unusual volcanic vent holes, earth tremors, the undeniable smell of sulphur, and the constant raining of ash on the city. This made the land surrounding the volcano inhabitable and hundreds of native snakes invaded Saint-Pierre. A scene straight out of the Old Testament enormous 6 ft. long serpents terrorized residents killing over 50 people and hundreds of live stock. The snake’s only escape from the volcano was a path directly through the city. Nothing like this had ever been scene or recorded in recent history. Unfortunately the terror was only beginning for the island’s residents as a few months later Mount Pelée experienced an enormous eruption annihilating everything. Over 30,000 people were instantly killed by the disaster. There are reports of only two survivors. One was in a poorly ventilated dungeon-like jail cell and the other was living on the extreme edge of the Island. Both men experienced horrible burns. It remains the worst natural disaster in French history.
1. Bhopal Disaster
Bhopal is the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It houses the Union Carbide pesticide plant. Unfortunately in the 1980’s many industrial plants in this area lacked a solid infrastructure and training programs. During the evening of December 3, 1984 a large amount of water entered a tank containing 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate, an intermediate chemical in the production of carbamate pesticides. The chemical reaction increased the tanks temperature to over 200 °C, subsequently releasing a large amount of toxic gases on the city. Many citizens awoke with an intense burning sensation in their lungs and were choking to death. As one would anticipate panic ensued on the streets of Bhopal with many people being trampled to death. More then half a million people were exposed to toxic gases. In all it is estimated that 10,000 people died within 72 hours of the accident. 25,000 have since died from different gas-related diseases. The means by which the water entered the chemical tank has yet to be fully understood. The Bhopal disaster is often referred to as the world’s worst industrial tragedy. It is truly one of the most devastating accidents in modern history. The Indian government has learned much from the incident and has implemented strict rule changes and formed numerous training programs.
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