react with phosgene and create methyl isocyanate. This can then react with naphtol to yield carbaryl. In November of 1984 many of the safety systems were not working or were in poor condition. The vent gas scrubbers were out of service as well as the steam boiler which was needed to clean the pipes. One tank contained more MIC than it was supposed to have. On the night of 2nd-3rd of December water entered this tank and a runaway reaction was created. High temperatures, contaminants and corroding steel pipes accelerated the process. The tank temperature increased to over 200 C (392 F) with increased pressure. As a result of this, over 30 metric tons of the methyl isocyanate (MIC) was released into the atmosphere in about 45-60 minutes.
Exposure to the gas caused vomiting, coughing, a feeling of suffocation, and severe eye irritation. Some people who were experiencing these symptoms managed to flee away from the plant to the surrounding area. Those that were shorter in height, such as children, took a larger amount of the gas in their systems. In the rush to escape the gas many people were also trampled to death. By the morning hours there were already thousands who were dead. Acute exposure caused reflexogenic circulatory collapse, choking, and pulmonary oedema. Many of the bodies were dumped in the Narmada River near Bhopal. Over 2,000 animals died and about 170,000 people were treated at hospitals. The leaves even fell off of tress because of the gas and there were food as well as fish shortages after the disaster because of fears of contamination.
The Indian government passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act by December which gave them rights to represent the victims, as Union Carbide was not doing enough with the relief work. After the disaster the health care industry became overloaded with treating people so the state government came in and established a number of extra hospitals to treat the injured. Not many people in the initial stages knew how to treat the resulting injuries, so many people only received eye drops or some cough medicine at first.
In 1986 the plant was closed but there are still indications of contamination around the area, such as the waters being toxic to fish. In 2012 an effort was made to dispose of the toxic waste around the closed factory.
16 – Hindenburg Disaster
The Hindenberg going up in flames.
Date: 6th May 1937.
Location: Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey.
Disaster Type: Fire.
Fatalities: 36 deaths.
Resulting Damage: German passenger airship destroyed.
Just like any new technology, it took some time for flying to become what we now know today. In the early 20th century, people had not experienced large scale air disasters, and so far most airplanes were small vehicles that carried only a few people. But as demand grew for air travel, so did vehicles to carry them. Soon, large airships were constructed to carry passengers over large distances, but very little was done to ensure adequate safety measures. In fact, in order to make them easier to fly, these early airships were filled with hydrogen, making them a real bomb waiting to go off. It wasn't until the Hindenburg disaster that people realized how dangerous that could be.
The Hindenburg was a German made airship which left for its first commercial trip to the US in May of 1937. After running for a year between Germany and Brazil, it was to now start round-trips between Frankfurt and New York City. It lifted off on May 3rd and took three days to cross the ocean. It headed towards Lakehurst where it was set to land with passengers then taking connecting flights. However, bad weather forced the airship to make a detour, and the captain went over Manhattan and part of New Jersey while waiting for the storms to subside.
The Hindenburg headed back to Lakehurst at around 7 PM after the weather cleared and was set to be attached to the Naval Air Station, a high tower where mooring cables would be dropped and the ship winched down. It took 25 minutes for the Hindenburg to position itself, including releasing enough ballast to get to the right altitude. Only once it was ready to land did the first signs of trouble appear. Blue flames could be seen along the fabric of the ship, and the airship then suddenly caught fire. The fire quickly engulfed the entire ship which came crashing down into the landing bow and then into the ground. Because airships of this size were relatively new, several news cameras were there and filmed most of the event.
Out of the 36 passengers and 61 crewmen, 13 passengers and 22 crewmen died as well as a ground crewman. A few people managed to escape the huge inferno because the ship was already low in the sky, and sometimes by pure luck. Many escaped with burns and were sent to a local hospital.
The exact cause of the disaster was never discovered, but several theories were shown to be likely. The first suspect was sabotage, as in that time it was fairly common with political tensions. However, no evidence was found pointing this way. The other possible cause was static discharge. While there is no way to confirm whether this was the true cause, witness accounts saying they saw blue flames dancing along the fabric which supports this theory. Finally, some think that because of the bad weather and sharp turns the airship had to make, one of the engines may have failed and emitted a flame towards the fabric of the ship. Regardless of the initial cause, the design of the ship and the use of hydrogen were responsible for the fire engulfing the vessel so quickly. After the Hindenburg, future airships were redesigned to be much less susceptible to this type of accident.
17 – Peshtigo Wildfire
Image author Royalbroil- Lumber that survived the Peshtigo fire.
Date: 8th October, 1871.
Location: Peshtigo, Wisconsin.
Disaster Type: Forest fire.
Fatalities: An estimated 2,500 deaths.
Resulting Damage: 1.2 million acres of land destroyed by a firestorm.
On October 8th, 1871 the worst recorded wildfire disaster in North American history occurred, which killed around 2,500 people and burnt 1.2 million acres of land. This fire is not well known, because the 'Great Chicago Fire', which was not as deadly, but received more press coverage, took place on the same day. The reason why the Peshtigo fire did not receive as much press coverage was because the Great Chicago Fire had more of an economic impact.
The cause of the fire has never been determined, but at that time there had been a prolonged drought and high temperatures, setting the perfect conditions for a major fire. Steam engines constantly kicked out sparks that regularly ignited surrounding brush or grass. There was also slash and burn pine forests which provided dry timber for forest fires to consume. There were also many wooden buildings, sawdust floors and board walks.
High winds resulting from a cold front that was moving in from the west created a firestorm. Survivors described a fiery tornado that lifted cars and houses into the air. One account describes the firestorm as being a mile high wall of flame, five miles wide and travelling at 100 miles per hour. There was nothing to stand in its way. The Peshtigo Company had a horse drawn steam pump, and that was about it in regards to fire fighting defences at that time. The fire was so incredibly intense that it jumped over the Peshtigo River and several miles over the Green Bay waters. The vortex sucked up the smoke high into the air, so the flames were clearly visible.
Some people who were taking refuge in the river were caught in the centre of the flame tornado and had to duck under the water as their hair would spontaneously burst into flames otherwise.
