Episoeds of air pollution

Air Pollution Disasters and
Accidents
Ravi Kumar GARRE

Contents covered
Air Pollution Disasters
1. Meuse Valley (Belgium), 1930
2. Donora (Pennsylvania, USA), 1948
3. London, 1952
Air Pollution Accidents
1. Poza Rica (Mexico), 1950
2. Seveso (Italy), 1976
3. Bhopal (India), 1984

• The 1930 Meuse Valley fog killed 60 people in
Belgium due to a combination of industrial air
pollution and climatic conditions in December
that year.
• This is the first major episode.
• The city had several industrial plants including
steel plants including steel works, sulphuric
acid plants, glass factories, zinc works and
fertilizer plant.

• Beginning from Dec-1, 1930, in winter for five
days, the accumulation of fog, smoke, oxides
of sulphur and other aerosols from industries
accumulated together.
• As a result of this, many people got ill with
symptoms like cough, throat irritation,
shortening of breath and vomiting. Not only
people, cattle, birds an even rats were died.

Donora (Pennsylvania, USA), 1948
• The 1948, Donora smog was an historical
smog event that killed 20 people and caused
respiratory problems of 6,000 people.
• Donora lies in a horse shoe valley of the
Monongahela river near Pittsburgh. Its
population was 14,000.
• The major industrial plants were steel mills,
zinc plant, sulphuric acid plant, etc.

• From 26th, October-1948 to next five days, the
smoke, pollutants like sulphur dioxide, sulphuric
acid, aerosols, particulates have combined
together and accumulated in atmosphere.
• This resulted in the death of 20 people and 43%
of people became ill. The symptoms of illness
were irritations of eye, nose and throat, cough,
respiratory problems, vomiting and headache.

London smog, 1952
• The great smog of London, 1952 was a severe air
pollution episode that affected London in the
month of December and caused 4000 deaths.
• London situated on the bank of river Thames. The
city used large quantity of coal for domestic
heating, thermal power plants for electricity
generation.
• And contains several number industries which
generates pollutants contains high concentrations
of sulphur oxides and smoke.

London smog, 1952
• 4th to 8th December, 1952, due to windless
conditions for the five days, the pollutants like
oxides of sulphur, smoke were combined with fog
and accumulated over city.
• And causes almost zero visibility.
• Within two days people became ill. During the
five days 4,000 deaths happened.
• The ill symptoms were: irritations of eye, nose
and throat, cough, respiratory problems,
vomiting and headache.

Poza Rica (Mexico), 1950
• Poza Rica is a town in Mexico known for its oil
refining and gas production business.
• On November 24, 1950, there was an
accidental release of Hydrogen sulphide gas
from oil refining industry.
• This leads 22 people dead and more than 300
people suffering from typical poisonousness
symptoms of loss of sense of smell, cough,
irritation and headache.

Poza Rica (Mexico), 1950
• People of all ages were affected.
• The escaped/ released H2S (hydrogen
sulphide) gas spread all over the atmosphere
and be retained there for a longer period of
time over a population.

Seveso (Italy), 1976
• An extremely serious accident occurred in
1976 in a small chemical plant located near
Milan.
• It is known as “Seveso disaster”, because
Seveso was the most affected community.
• The industrial plant was owned by the
company ICMESA ( Industrie chemiche meda
societa azionaria), and it is a pesticide
manufacturing factory.

• When an explosion took place in the factory,
resulting in release of a white cloud of gas
highly poisonous, containing TCDD ( Trichloro
dibenzo dioxine).
• The dioxines are highly poisonous to
organisms.
• 6 tonnes of chemical spread over an area of
18sq.km.

• It shown high effect on pregnant women.
• Due to this accident, 3,300 animals were died,
26 women got abortion.
• 447 people were showing skin chlorance.

Bhopal (India), 1984
• Bhopal gas tragedy considered as worst
industrial disaster in the history of mankind.
• on 3rd December-1984, 40 tonnes of MIC
(methyl isocyanate) was released from Union
carbide India ltd., a multi national company
based on USA.
• The gas was spread over 250 sq.km.
• As per records 4000 people were died.
2,00,000 people were seriously affected.

Bhopal (India), 1984
• Their woes to temporary blindness to
permanent disability.
• Thousands of cattle was died.
• The gas spoiled the soil, water and life.

Episoeds of air pollution

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