5. Basra Poisoned Grain Disaster
In September 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 only as a seed grain and not to be directly consumed by the population. Barley and wheat were treated with antifungal methylmercury to prevent mold growth. Although the warnings were printed only in Spanish and English, the grain was painted pink and the bags marked as toxic. Shortly after being delivered to port, it was ransacked and many sacks of grain were stolen. They were later sold to the local population. Almost immediately, thousands of people reported mercury poisoning. Local hospitals and government aid knew something was very wrong. Iraqi officials kept the tragedy under wraps until an American reporter discovered the reported unusual and massive poisoning. About 500 people are believed to have died from barley and wheat, but some estimates are higher.
4. New London school explosion
In the mid-1930s, the Great Depression hit America hard. In 1930, oil was discovered in Rusk County, Texas, and this area of the United States became the richest in the country. A huge school was built in New London. 72 natural gas heaters are installed in the building. This new raw gas line varied according to the amount of gas supplied to the building. In its natural state, the gas is odorless, colorless, and leak-proof. No one realized that the gas had begun to escape and build up in a giant crawl space beneath the structure. On March 18, 1937, a school teacher turned on an electric sander to do some work in the basement. Almost immediately, a tiny spark caused the entire New London School to explode. It was completely demolished and about 300-500 students and teachers lost their lives. It remains the worst disaster at a US school building. This tragedy directly led to the adoption of the law to add thiols to natural gas.
3. Lake Nyos disaster
Lake Nyos is an active crater lake located in the northwestern province of Cameroon. A lake is often formed when there is a huge volcanic eruption that creates a large crater in the ground. These lakes are usually fresh water and surround active volcanic vents. When this happens, the water becomes acidic and filled with certain gases. Usually, the circulation of these stratified waters occurs gradually, and harmless amounts of gases are released into the atmosphere from time to time. Lake Nyos is one of three lakes known to have formed a pocket of magma deep within the lake, gradually leaking carbon dioxide.
This pocket accumulates until a major natural event releases a large amount of gas. On August 21, 1986, approximately 1.6 million tons of CO2 were suddenly released from Lake Nyos. Scientists predict that this could happen after a landslide in the depths of the lake. The cloud of death rushed down the two valleys towards the villages of Cha, Nyos and Subum. Everything within a 15 mile radius of the lake was killed. About 1,700 people and 3,500 cattle were suffocated by gas. It was the first known large-scale asphyxiation caused by a natural event. The scientists then decided to install pipes in the lake to allow a safe amount of carbon dioxide to gradually leak out.
2. Mount Pelee eruption
Mount Pelee towers over the city of Saint-Pierre on the eastern Caribbean island of Martinique. In 1902, local residents began to notice unusual volcanic vents, tremors, the unmistakable smell of sulfur, and a steady rain of ash falling on the town. This made the area around the volcano habitable and hundreds of native snakes invaded Saint-Pierre. From the Old Testament, giant 6-foot-long snakes terrorized residents, killing more than 50 people and hundreds of live animals. The snakes only escape from the volcano was a road that ran directly through the city. Nothing like this has ever been staged or recorded in recent history. Unfortunately, the terror for the inhabitants of the island only began, because a few months later Mount Pelee experienced a huge eruption that destroyed everything. As a result of the disaster, more than 30 thousand people died immediately. Only two people are reported to have survived. One lived in a poorly ventilated dungeon-like prison cell, and the other lived on the far side of the island. Both men suffered terrible burns. It remains the worst natural disaster in French history.
1. The Bhopal disaster
The Union Carbide pesticide plant is located here. Unfortunately, in the 1980s, many industries in this field lacked solid infrastructure and training programs. On the evening of December 3, 1984, a large amount of water entered a tank containing 42 tons of methyl isocyanate, an intermediate chemical in the production of carbamate pesticides. The chemical reaction raised the temperature of the tanks to over 200 °C and subsequently released large quantities of toxic gases into the city. Many citizens woke up with a strong burning sensation in their lungs and died of suffocation. As expected, panic broke out on the streets of Bhopal with many people being trampled to death.
In total, an estimated 10,000 people died within 72 hours of the crash. After that, 25,000 people died from various gas related diseases. The means by which water enters the chemical tank is not yet fully understood. The Bhopal disaster is often called the world's worst industrial disaster. It is truly one of the most devastating accidents in modern history. The Indian government learned a lot from the incident and implemented major rule changes and created numerous training programs.
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