Chemical Spill Damage: The Red River Rhine

2434 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of fire to maintain a healthy ecosystem

Red River Rhine

On November 1st 1986, a fire at the Sandoz chemical warehouse on the Rhine caused the river to run red, and left its ecosystem devastated. This raised awareness in the international forum of the extent of damage that can happen due to chemical spills and prompted substantial changes to the laws surrounding how these facilities operated. In this report I will be looking at the events the unfurled during the spill, the affect that it has had, biologically on the Rhine, and whether the Rhine could even have benefited in some way from this disaster.

The fire stated in the most inauspicious of circumstances. Workers were packaging Prussian Blue (Iron(II, III)hexacyanoferrate(II, III)), a deep blue pigment, using a blow torch and plastic sheet. Unbeknown to them, the compound, which burns with a colourless flame, had caught fire during this process. The fire was first discovered around midnight, and the alarm was immediately raised. Fire services immediately rushed to the scene to put out the blaze, but were greeted by more problems still, as it had grown too large for the usage of foam extinguishers (Angeletti and Bjørseth et al., 1988, pp. 128-131) , which are the traditional treatment for a chemical fire, so water was used instead. The fire had to be extinguished fast, as nearby chemical stores contained phosgene, a valuable reagent in the production of isocyanates, which are, among other things, used in the production of polyurethane tubing. Phosgene is unfortunately also highly hazardous in gaseous form, being odourless up to 0.4ppm, which is four times the level at which it can be fatal (cdc.gov, 1978). The efforts to stop the fire lead to a figure of around 30 tons of agricultural chemicals, mostly pesticide...

... middle of paper ...

...ed to its former glory. Max Planck Research, Iss. B20396F pp. 55-57.

Froehlich-Schmitt, B. 2003. Outcome of the Rhine Action Programme. Koblenz: International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine.

Iksr.org. 2013. ICPR | International Cooperation»Rhine 2020»Salmon 2020. [online] Available at: http://www.iksr.org/index.php?id=124&L=3&ignoreMobile=1 [Accessed: 6 Jan 2014].

Boyce, D. 2011. Swimmers unaware of dangerous bacteria in Rhine | Environment | DW.DE | 29.08.2011. [online] Available at: http://www.dw.de/swimmers-unaware-of-dangerous-bacteria-in-rhine/a-15345428 [Accessed: 7 Jan 2014].

Bayer.com. 2013. Research at Bayer - Bayer. [online] Available at: http://www.bayer.com/en/research-at-bayer.aspx [Accessed: 7 Jan 2014].

Fischer, C., Lehner, M. and Mckinnon, D. L. 2012. Overview of the use of landfill taxes in Europe. Copenhagen: ETC/SCP.

Show More
Related

  • 'Rising Tide' Chronicles Flow of Changes

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    A major flood on any river is both a long-term and a short-term event, particularly any river basin where human influence has exerted "control" over the ri...

    Read More

  • The Use of Chemical Agents in World War I

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    B”Heller, C.E (1984). Leavenworth papers No 10. Chemical warfare in world war I. Combat studies institute”.

    Read More

  • Pollution Problems Concerning the Long Island Sound

    2479 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...rogen In Wastewater To Protect A Region's Waterways." BioCycle 44 (2003): 18. BigChalk. 20 Oct. 2005.

    Read More

  • Floods in Winnipeg, Canada

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Simonovic, S., Morris, M.,O. 1997. Assessment of Social Impact of Flooding for Use in Flood Management in the Red River Basin. International Joint Commission Red River Basin Task Force, 1-45.

    Read More

  • recycling in canada

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Currently in Canada, the amount of waste generated by households is increasing. As Canadians continue to consume more, the amount of waste created as a result increases as well and between 2000 and 2004, household waste increased by 19% (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 8). While this is appears to be a frightening statistic for landfills across Canada, recycling is actually increasing as well, and at a faster rate. Over the same time period (2000-2004), household recycling increased by 65% in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 9). This is a positive sign as it is clear that Canada’s increase in trash is being offset by a much stronger effort with regards to recycling.

    Read More

  • The West Fertilizer Plant Explosion

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 17, 2013, the community of West, Texas, suffered a devastating and heartbreaking event in the evening hours. After a fire broke out inside the West Fertilizer plant, a massive explosion leveled the facility, caused millions of dollars in damage to surrounding buildings, and took the lives of over a dozen people. Sadly, the majority of those killed were volunteer firefighters who had responded to the fire and were unable to retreat to a safe distance before the explosion. Nearly 200 injuries were also reported to have been treated at local hospitals (Wood, 2013). The explosion was said to be caused by the combination of the fire and large stores of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the plant.

    Read More

  • Elk River Chemical Spill

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    On January 9th, 2014, it was reported that a chemical spill has occurred from a storage tank owned by Freedom Industries. The spill occurred on the banks of Elk River in West Virginia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without tap water. The company first reported that 7500 gallons of the chemicals had spilled into the river through a one-inch whole but had found that two weeks later, there was an estimated 10000 gallons of the toxic chemical in the river. The chemicals released include 4-methylcyclohexane (MCHM) and PPH. Methylcyclohexane is a chemical that is used in coal to reduce the amount of ash it produces(Field & Catherine, 2014). The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection are still calculating the exact amount of how much of the chemicals were spilled.

    Read More

  • Canadian Waste in Michigan

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    As of January 1, 2003, the Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario started to ship one hundred percent of its garbage into the landfills of Michigan.  In 2003, Toronto exported garbage at a rate of 7.2 tons per minute.  Garbage trucks from Toronto run seven days a week twenty-four hours a day, so at the rate of 7.2 tons per minute it works out to be that Michigan imports 10,368 tons of Toronto's garbage per day.  But it wasn't always like this, Governor John Engler and his administration turned garbage into a growth industry.  The state lowered the liability standards for landfill owners and also provided tax-free financing for new facilities.  The result of these changes lead to too many landfills and not enough garbage to fill them.  So the landfill owners lowered their prices and searched even harder for garbage. Today, Michigan's private landfills charge ten to fifteen dollars per ton to dump while other landfill owners in neighboring states charge twenty five to fifty dollars per ton.  Toronto did the math and realized that it is cheaper to haul its garbage 300 miles and dump it in Michigan then it is to dump it close to home. And on top of that, Michigan has eliminated funds fo...

    Read More

  • Essay On Canada's Fishing Industry

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    With a coastline of over 202 000 km and over a fourth of the world’s freshwater resources, it is no wonder why Canada’s fishing industry is a huge part of its economy.1 Canada exports more than 75% of its fish to over 130 countries worldwide. Many of the 7 million people who reside on the coast depend on the ocean’s resources. In total, Canada’s entire fishing industry is worth around 5$ billion dollars a year, being one of the world’s most valuable. However, the coasts have not been treated by respect; overfishing, over consumption, and wasteful practices has deteriorated, not only the industry, but the ecosystems and fish populations. This is a huge global issue; the worldwide collapse of fisheries has been project for 2048. Slowly, as the trends continue, we will inevitably see many fish species start to disappear. In fact, the ill-treatment of species on the Canadian border has already devastated a large specie, the cod.

    Read More

  • Atlantic salmon fishery

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    U.S. Food And Drug Administration (2013, July 23). An overview of Atlantic salmon, its natural history, aquaculture, and genetic engineering. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://www.fda.gov/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/VeterinaryMedicineAdvisoryCommittee/ucm222635.htm

    Read More

  • How Acid Rain Affects the Aquatic Ecosystem

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    Acid rain either falls directly onto the lake or enters through the catchment (Buchdahl). A very small percentage enters directly so the majority enters through the catchment. The alkaline rich catchments can neutralize the rain. However, not all types of bedrock have the same capability of neu...

    Read More

  • Oceans in Crisis

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    Overfishing is the most major problem related to oceans, but it is also the most overlooked. Fishing has been going on for thousands of years, and fish have always been seen as a renewable resource, that would replenish itself forever for our benefit. But around the world there is evidence that fish are not recove...

    Read More

  • Causes, Effects and Solution of Water Polution

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hennigan, Robert D. "Water Pollution." Oxford University Press 19.11 (1969): 976-78. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Solid Waste Management

    1469 Words  | 3 Pages

    Policy is needed to regulate which course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. Because of this, many plans and policies revolving around the management of solid waste have been put in place. Sometimes however, a particular policy can have its shortfalls, potentially resulting in its negative aspects outweighing the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada Report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), hence, the following analysis revolves around household and commercial waste – referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste is a major health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems like habitat destruction, surface groundwater pollution, and other forms of air, soil, and water contamination. Waste disposal methods like incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Objective Report, “The impact of climate change and the increasing awareness of the role of “waste” and “wasting” in the production of greenhouse gas emissions is a constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to an increasing limitation of government to prevent and control the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and a growing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer.

    Read More

  • Everyone Should Care About The Environment

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid wastes each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet. The number landfills in the United States are decreasing, but the amount and volume of waste being thrown into the new landfills is increasing (Russell 4). Because of this escalating amount of garbage, Methane which contributes to global warming is an outcome of these landfills (Russell 7). As a result, our planet is suffering because of this epidemic. The garbage being put in the landfills could be recycled, but not enough businesses, ...

    Read More

More about Chemical Spill Damage: The Red River Rhine

Open Document