Industrial accidents explosion

There have been occasions in which relatively large quantities of dioxins were released as the result of chemical or industrial accidents. Explosions at chemical plants in Seveso, Italy, in 1976 and at Bhopal, India, in 1984 are examples of such incidents. High levels of dioxin have also been found in animal feed on a few occasions the source and mechanism of this contamination have not always been clear. 

This section focuses on industrial accidents tliat are not plant related and revievs ing accidents tliat occur during tlie transport and storage of hazardous substances. Frequently, such accidents result in fires, explosions, and toxic releases. This topic will be discussed in tlie next cliapter. 

Explosions shortly after the completion of vacuum distillations are common. There are two causes, firstly that the residues are unstable and, heat removal declining with the cessation of agitation and evaporation, there is unaided thermal runaway from the elevated temperature at which such distillations commonly finish. The second is that the still very hot vessel has been repressurised with air, and residues are usually combustible. Cooling of such residues should be checked, if not assisted, and air not admitted to the vessel until it is below 100°C [1], An account of the investigation of an industrial accident of the first type is available [2],... 

Whereas one might classify the LNG-water studies as a response to a concern that industrially sized operations might result in a large-scale spill on water with subsequent RPTs, studies of molten salt-water explosions were carried out because industrial accidents had taken place. Emphasis has been placed on events occurring in the paper industry where molten smelt is produced in recovery boilers. This smelt is primarily a mixture of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, and sodium sulfide. In normal operations, the molten smelt is tapped from the furnace, quenched, treated, and recycled to the wood digestors. Accidents have taken place, however, when water inadvertently contacted molten smelt with severe explosions resulting. The smelt temperature is much higher than the critical point of water 1100 K compared to 647 K (see Section IV). 

In a retrospective study of 148 cases of occupational eye injuries in Germany, ocular bums (not specified as chemical or other etiology) comprised 15.5% of the total [10]. In another German study of 101 patients with 131 severely burned eyes, 72.3% of the injuries were work-related, 84.2% were chemical injuries, and 79.8% of these were due to alkalis [11], Of 42 cases of alkali ocular bums admitted to a German eye clinic between 1985 and 1992, 73.8% involved industrial accidents [19]. In Finland in 1973,11.9% of all industrial accidents were ocular injuries and bums comprised 3.6% of these (chemical or other injury mechanism not specified) [12]. A 7-year retrospective Australian study of 182 industrial bums found that 5.5% were ocular bums due to chemicals, gas explosions, and electric flashes (percentages not specified) [30]. In a 4-year hospital-based study in Taiwan, of 486 patients with eye injuries, 39.9% were work-related [20]. Chemical ocular bums accounted for 19.6% of these injuries [20],... 

Accidents of the Explosives Industries , Swiss Explosives Works, Ltd, 5605 Dottikon, Switzerland 44a) R.A. Strehlow W.E. Baker, The Characterization and Evaluation of Accidental Explosions , Prog Energy Combust Sci, Vol 2, 27—60 (1976) 45) R.N. Rogers, Thermo-... 

In Seveso, Italy, an explosion occurred during the production of 2,4,5-T and a cloud of toxic material including 2,3,7,8-TCDD was released (Cerlisi et al. 1989 MMWR 1988 Mocarelli et al. 1991). Debris from the cloud covered an area of approximately 700 acres (2.8 km2). The total amount of 2,3,7,8-TCDD released during the accident was estimated to be 1.3 kg. Soil samples from this industrial accident were measured in three areas Zone A, the most contaminated zone where residents were evacuated Zone B, the moderately contaminated area where residents were advised not to eat locally raised produce and Zone R, where 2,3,7,8-TCDD contamination in soil was lowest of the three areas. Mean soil concentrations in these 3 areas were 230 g/m2 (maximum 5,477 g/m2) in Zone A, 3 g/m2 (maximum 43.9 g/m2) in Zone B, and 0.9 g/m2 (maximum 9.7 g/m2) in Zone R (MMWR 1988). 

Individuals exposed through industrial accidents or environmental contamination. Very extensive residential contamination by 2,3,7,8-TCDD occurred in Seveso, Italy, when a 2,4,5-TCP reactor exploded in 1976 (Mocarelli et al. 1991). The contaminated area was divided into three zones based on the concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in the soil. Families in zone A, the most heavily contaminated area based on soil 2,3,7,8-TCDD levels, were evacuated within 20 days of the explosion and measures were taken to minimize exposure of residents in nearby zones. A recent analysis of 19 blood samples from residents of zone A, which were collected and stored shortly after the accident, showed serum lipid levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD that ranged from 828 to 56,000 ppt. These serum lipid levels are among the highest ever reported for humans (Mocarelli et al. 1991). 

Many health care practitioners have the knowledge and skill sets required to care for blunt and penetrating trauma from motor vehicle accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, and the like however, few have cared for survivors of an explosion. Whether the result of an industrial accident or a terrorist attack, explosions produce casualties that will present with blunt and penetrating... 

Printing Office(l946) 5 )H.W. He inrich/ Industrial Accident Prevencion A Scientific Approach /3rd ed, McGraw-Hill,NY( 1950) 6)Nat>ona[ Safety Council, Accident Prevention Manual for Industrial Ope rations, 2nd ed, Chicago,111(1951) 7)Underwriters Laboratories,Inc, Lists Relating to Accident Equipment iNY(1951) 8)National Fire Protection Association, Nationai Fire Codes for the Prevention of Dust Explosions, Bostoh(1952) 9)W.M.Kuastler,"The Law of Accidents,"Oceana Publications,NY(1954) 10)TJS Bureau of Mines, Accidents from Explosives at Metal and Non-metallic Mines, July(1956)(See also Safety Measures in Industry)... 

From 1935 to 1978, workers world-wide were exposed during periodic explosions at trichlorophenol production facilities as well as during their daily production activities. Table II illustrates some major industrial accidents which yielded published reports of health effects. Table III lists some major health outcomes reported following exposures to products contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDD. The primary dermal effect of exposure is chloracne, a persistent form of acne caused by exposure to a number of chlorinated organic compounds. Chloracne occurred in some exposed persons in all accidents, as well as in children in Seveso (2-4). Chloracne appeared with and without other health effects and persisted in some persons up to 28 years after exposure (5-6). 

An ammonium nitrate explosion in Texas City, Texas, on April 16, 1947, was responsible for the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. While being loaded into two ships at the Texas City harbor, more than 7.5 million kilograms (17 million pounds) of the ammonium nitrate was exposed to flames and exploded. The... 

On April 16, an ammonium nitrate explosion in Texas City, Texas, becomes the worst industrial accident in U.S. 

Many industrial accidents involving malfunctioning reaction vessels used to manufacture chlorinated phenols or phenoxy herbicides have exposed more than 1300 workers to shortterm, high-level doses of the dioxins that occur as contaminants of these substances. Exposures have frequently been associated with acne-like skin lesions, dermatitis, altered liver enzyme concentrations, pulmonary deficiency, numbness, nausea, headache, hearing loss, sleep disturbance, tiredness, sexual dysfunction, depression, and appetite loss. Populations exposed to dioxin-contaminated materials through non-occupational sources - including (hoxin-contaminated soils in Missouri, a trichlorophenol reactor explosion in Italy, dioxin-containing herbicide in Viemam, and assorted laboratory accidents - have all experienced similar effects. 

Though there do not seem to be any generally available technical reports, there are genuine stories of explosions and burn accidents caused by the inadvertent formation and subsequent decomposition of hydrates of hydrocarbons in railway tank cars in the cold climate of Canada. Incidents occurred due to the practice of washing empty tank carr following their use for transporting liquid hydrocarbons. In a cold winter climate, it is possible to form hydrates with small amounts of hydrocarbon residues, which later decompose when the tank car warms up, e.g., when exposed to sunshine. For example, the clathrate hydrate of isobutene (2-methyl-propene, b.p. -6.9" C) needs only 1.12 bar at 273 K to be stable. Precautions were not taken around such nominally clean and empty tankers, and exposure to sparks or naked flames led to flash fires and explosions. While the main content of the tankers was butane, other hydrocarbons were present. In another kind of industrial accident, a worker was killed by H2S gas liberated from H2S hydrate residue in a heavy water production plant, during a shutdown for maintenance. 

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of industrial accidents had risen to unacceptably high levels. For example, between the years 1870 and 1910, at least 10,(XX) boiler explosions occurred in North America. By the year 1910, the rate of such explosions had reached approximately 1,400 per year. 

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