Env Sci

Fact Finding Assignment #2

24 Feb 2015
Gavin Soccorso

1) The Chernobyl incident- Chernobyl was one of the most famous

environmental disasters in the range of nuclear incidents. The impact of this
disaster was incredibly devastating not only on the surrounding area but to all
of Russia as well. A faulty nuclear reactor was being operated by
inadequately trained personnel resulting in its meltdown in 1986. The reactor
was located within the vicinity of a local town that housed the workers and
family of the workers. While only 2 operators died at the time of the accident
initially several more people dies afterward from resulting acute radiation
poisoning. The radiation and contamination had traveled throughout the
town as well as the surrounding areas causing mass evacuation in which
much financial devastation had been in result. The systemic effects of the
fallout radiation (in the residents and within the environment) can be seen
even to this day. The children of the survivors acquired many maladies
associated with radiation and heavy metal poisoning. Thyroid cancer and
leukemia were among the nasty side effects acquired by the secondary
exposure. The animal population was also effected and to this day some
hunters claim that the wolves living in the area have several deformities like
missing or extra malformed limbs as well as being excessive in size. Today
the location is being used by squatters and the drug traders of the area.
Suspicions have been raised as to the association of that area and its
reputation of being a drop for arms dealers from Kazakhstan. This story can

be associated to many lectures in class! One that immediately comes to mind

is the TaIji island case. The main idea is that a factory near Taiji was
producing toxins that leeched back into the environment and wreaked havoc
at all levels of environmental concern. Both the reactor at Chernobyl and the
manufacturing factory at Taiji were built and ran with the idea to better the
community in fact caused it intense harm. Both disasters have caused horror
in both the human population through mutation and sickness and to the
ecosystem in terms of making the lands infertile and killing off many forms of
life (plants, fish, deer, ect). In class we discuss not only the science of the
environment but how WE also affect our environment. These disasters are a
perfect and flamboyant example of a negative impact humans can have upon
their surroundings. Another topic of note is some of the preventative
measures that needed to be taken in order to prevent the health effects of
the disaster from living on future generations. Some physicians in Europe
advised pregnant women to undergo abortions on account of radiation
exposure (WNA, Chernobyl Accident 1986). This is just one of the many
secondary and alternate after consequences of a major disaster stemming
from use of resources that have the potential for mass destruction.
2) The Bhopal disaster: - The country of India is noted for being both the center
of peace as well as the center for great poverty and discontent. The Bhopal
disaster is one of those instances of the negative occurrences that happen in
India. It has been noted that this disaster is known as one of the worlds
worst! On December 2nd in the year 1984 a nasty chemical leak occurred
within one of the Union Carbide India Limited facilities. Chemicals such as
phosgene (used as a chemical weapon during war that causes the victims to

choke on their own mucous), hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide had
leaked out into the surrounding area. The devastation was horrendous, as
many as 2,259 had died in the initial incident and over 3,000 had acquired
disabling and permanent injury as a direct result. The final death toll turned
out to be more toward 3,787. While the cause is still under debate the
common belief is that like Chernobyl it was a result of poor management and
improper training. However the corporation pleads that it was due to outside
tampering. Whatever the cause was, the result of the cause is severe and
unjust and the company has been held accountable. The locals had reported
of pollution and leakage from the company several times before the major
incident, yet no resolution had come to pass. It is evident that ignorance and
neglect played a huge part in the disaster There were corroded lines,
malfunctioning valves, faulty indicators and missing control indicators
(Weick, 538). The fact that even simply neglecting responsibility its self can
have a tremendous impact on our environment should serve to make us
notice on the chain reaction of events. Because of this neglect that was
something that could have been fixed with help noxious substances like. It
goes without saying that the long term effects such as scarring and
neurological impairment made this disaster the Chernobyl of India. As
discussed in class the bio magnification of some of these materials could
remain resident within the surrounding environment for long periods of time,
effecting each trophic level as they are consumed. We tend to think of
nuclear bombs causing long term inability, but some of these factory
disasters can also have such an effect. While we regulate the use of nukes
heavily, the operation of chemical plants are not under such strict control.

3) Marcellus shale natural gas:- The Marcellus shale NG is an important concern

for us in this age of fuel and fracking. Marcellus shale is a body of
sedimentary rock that was named after the part of NY where a large quantity
was first found (Marcellus NY). The shale deposits that encompass the NY
and Pennsylvania area is among other things a source for natural fuel.
Fracking is one way to obtain the gas source and is also the target of
controversy and regulation. After fracking the gas would be either collected at
the site or handed off to a pipeline highway. It has been noted that the
process of fracking can lead to resident toxins and microbes resident in the
soil to leech into nearby water sources. Also the process of fracking uses
massive gallons of water per drill which is considered a waste considering the
drought season devastation of some areas that the drilling takes place in.
Another startling fact of fracking is that nearly 40,000 gallons of chemicals
are used per frack. Its no secret that some of the chemicals used in each
drilling will inevitably seep into the soil along with the microbes and natural
toxins stirred up by the process. The mining of shale either by fracking or
other methods also have been shown to disturb the surrounding land causing
soil erosion, and even sink holes. As per class lecture it is evident that soil
erosion its self can and will lead to a damaged community and environment.
Soil erosion will lead to the land to become unstable and slowly loose its
ability to sustain vegetation life. This in turn will lead to a soil infertility and
latterly cause the land to die.
4) Rachel Carson: - Rachel Carson (1907-1964) is a very interesting and
important individual in the context of the environmental sciences and
conservation. She was a biologist and conservationist who was credited as

having a major hand in starting the environmentalist movement. Mrs Carson

was directly responsible for the creation of the EPA through her association
with the Grassroots movement. She has also been the recipient of the
presidential Medal of Freedom by President Carter. She started by working for
the Bureau of Fisherys with the prime responsibility of gathering information
and mapping data on fish. She had eventually left the Bureau and started
doing research into the environmental impact of DDT, which was a popular
pesticide being used at the time against moths. She eventually went on to
author one of the most prolific books in the environmental and natural
sciences field Silent Spring. This book documents the use of pesticides and
the impact the have (and dont have for that matter). She notes that
pesticides or biocides rarely effect only the pests targeted. In fact many of
the nerve agents used by the United States military and DOD are derived
from common pesticides. As both nerve agents and pesticides all have
phosphorus at their heart, the biological effect of pesticides and nerve agent
based weapons effect humans, bugs and animals in EXACTLY the same way.
The book also describes bioaccumulation and as discussed in class it denotes
the effect in which a toxin remains resident in a person (or animals) system
and never leaves. The toxin will keep building up within the system
depending on the length and pattern of exposure, and can be passed on
throughout the trophic levels. If a fish is exposed to a certain poison it can
pass it on to the next animal that eats it, and the next animal that eats the
fish eater, ect. According to Carson there are many effects that different
biocides can have on the human body. Some are general poisons, some are
powerful stimulants of the metabolism, causing a fatal rise in body

temperature, some induce malignant tumors either alone or in partnership

with other chemicals, some strike at the genetic material of the race causing
gene mutations ( Carson, 35). This statement alone shows the vast nasty
soup of afflictions that these chemicals made to help us tap into. A very
enlightening book and woman, very beneficial to study for anyone concerned
about the environment, the impact humans have on the earth or simply
interest in activism.
5) Fukushima:- The Fukushima incident is yet another example of how lack of
respect of the science one is working with or simple ignorance can cause us
much harm. On March 11th on 2011 3 of the nuclear reactors of the
Fukushima nuclear power plant initiated a meltdown. This in turn was
responsible for the irradiation of nearby water supply as well as a mass
evacuation. The evacuation itself was the cause of some number of deaths,
this goes to show that regardless of the level of initial damage of such
events, the chain reaction of events (directly linked to such disaster) can also
have a devastating effect. We seemed to be too concerned with the effects of
an environmental disaster and do not see the totality of the effects they
cause through its waves. The later effects of the meltdown mainly effect
those people who chose to remain in the area as per statement from the
World Heath Organization (radiation levels were minimal according to the
WHO).The effects acquired from the residents ranged from an increase in
thyroid cancer of females living near the area and a high rate of leukemia. All
in all this was yet another disaster in which the circumstances were
foreseeable and could very well have been prevented. As per discussion in
class we can note the effects of pollution and ignorance and how they have a

wave effect on their surroundings. When one disaster happens it can either
cause bioaccumulation (if it is toxic in nature) or have a long lasting residency
within the area it occurred. Personally I think nuclear disasters are the worst
as they can cause both immediate death due to heat and or shrapnel
production, they then go on to cause bio accumulation toxicity in both the
land and in animal life and worst yet the half-life of most radio isotopes is
very very long.

Sources cited:
1) World Nuclear Association." Chernobyl. World Nuclear Association, n.d.
Sat. 21 Feb. 2015. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-andSecurity/Safety-of-Plants/Chernobyl-Accident/

2) Houtman, Anne Michelle, Susan Karr, Jeneen Interlandi, and Teri Balser.
Environmental Science: For a Changing World. New York: W.H. Freeman,
2014. Print, Fri 20 Feb 15
3) Weick, Karl E. "Reflections on Enacted Sensemaking in the Bhopal
Disaster." Journal of Management Studies. N.p., May 2010. Web. 22 Feb.
2015.

4) Carson, Rachel, Lois Darling, and Louis Darling. Silent Spring. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1962. Print.
5) "Deep Sigh of Relief." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 16 Mar.
2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.