The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) was passed by Congress in response to concerns regarding the environmental and safety hazards posed by the storage and handling of toxic chemicals. These concerns were triggered by the 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India, caused by an accidental release of methyl isocyanate.

 

On Sunday, December 2, 1984, the 100 workers on the late shift at Bhopal, India’s Union Carbide pesticide plant were in the process of making the pesticide Sevin. This involved mixing carbon tetrachloride, methyl isocyanate (MIC) and alpha-napthol. Over the next 12 hours, a series of astonishing errors led to disaster.

 

The MIC at the plant was stored in three partially buried 15,000-gallon tanks. When there was a problem with one of the tanks, nitrogen was forced in to extract the MIC. However, on this day, the process was not working correctly and both MIC and nitrogen were leaking. At about 11:00 p.m., the gauges began to indicate a dangerous level of pressure in the tanks, but the workers thought the instruments were malfunctioning and took no measures to alleviate the problem. By 11:30, the workers in the vicinity of the tanks were having a physical reaction to the leak, a feeling that many were familiar with because it happened with some frequency. Even then, Shakil Qureshi, the supervisor, decided to wait until after a tea break to look into the situation. By then, it was too late, and panic ensued as an explosion rocked the plant at approximately 12:15 a.m.

 

Firefighters attempted in vain to use a curtain of water to stop the gas from escaping the plant. The gas simply flowed over the top of the water. A piece of equipment called a vent gas scrubber, intended to prevent toxic gas from spreading, completely failed to operate. In the midst of the chaos, the drivers of the emergency buses ran away instead of driving the workers to safety. Even worse, the plant failed to inform local authorities immediately, later claiming that the phones weren’t working.

 

People living in the vicinity of the plant were close enough to hear the alarms but ignored them on December 3 because alarms at the plant were so frequent. The cold weather that evening kept the gas close to the ground as it silently swept through Bhopal. Anyone who was already weak or frail was affected most seriously. Exposure to the gas caused vomiting and difficulty breathing. When the gas hit the train station, stampedes resulted as people tried to outrun it. Victims flooded the area hospitals, which were not prepared for the onslaught. The best and most effective treatment was a simple wet cloth over the face, but virtually none of the medical personnel dispensed this information.

 

An exact casualty count was impossible to determine in the aftermath of this disaster but most estimates place the death toll at over 2,000. An estimated 200,000 people were affected in some way by exposure to the gas. Some were blinded; others experienced serious sleep or digestion problems following the disaster. About 10-20 percent of those exposed were still suffering serious problems, such as memory loss and nerve damage, a year later.

 

When Union Carbide officials arrived in India following the Bhopal disaster, they were arrested. None were convicted, despite evidence suggesting that management was substantially negligent in the management of the plant.

 

Adapted from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/explosion-kills-2000-at-pesticide-plant

 

Though approximately 88.5% of people utilize their seatbelts, the country saw an increase in traffic deaths across the country. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced its latest estimate of traffic deaths show a steep 9.3 percent increase for the first nine months of 2015. Human factors contribute to 94 percent of crashes according to decades of NHTSA research.

“For decades, U.S. DOT has been driving safety improvements on our roads, and those efforts have resulted in a steady decline in highway deaths,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “But the apparent increase in 2015 is a signal that we need to do more. The safety summits that NHTSA is kicking off today in Sacramento will provide us with new approaches to add to the tried-and-true tactics that we know save lives.”

NHTSA estimates that more than 26,000 people died in traffic crashes in the first nine months of 2015, compared to the 23,796 fatalities in the first nine months of 2014. U.S. regions nationwide showed increases ranging from 2 to 20 percent.

“We’re seeing red flags across the U.S. and we’re not waiting for the situation to develop further,” said Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA Administrator. “It’s time to drive behavioral changes in traffic safety and that means taking on new initiatives and addressing persistent issues like drunk driving and failure to wear seat belts.”

The estimated increase in highway deaths follows years of steady, gradual declines. Traffic deaths declined 1.2 percent in 2014 and more than 22 percent from 2000 to 2014.

While Richland County had no traffic deaths in 2015, the need for safe driving habits is ongoing. Remember, keep your eyes on the road, and always wear your seatbelt.

This week, we recognize National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week, focusing on increasing understanding about the use and risks of inhalant involvement. In an effort to address both this and several other risky behaviors students may come across today, local law enforcement work tirelessly to help educate area students on how to make positive choices and resist pressures to engage in risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, using other drugs, or becoming violent through use of the CounterAct program.

CounterAct is a national program for students in grades 4, 5 and 6 that joins local police departments, elementary schools, and parents in a cooperative effort to help young people live healthy lives.

Recently, officers from the Richland Center Police Department have been in 5th grade classrooms teaching the 6-week CounterAct program. In CounterAct, students learn specific, age appropriate skills that they can apply to real-life situations to enable themselves to make positive choices and resist the pressures to engage in risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, using drugs or engaging in violent behavior. CounterAct also emphasizes the importance of parents and family in the growth and social development of our young people.

A Parent’s night was held on February 25^th, giving family members and other important adults an opportunity to learn what the students have studied during their classroom sessions. The students presented skits that demonstrated the skills they have learned. In addition, officers presented information geared toward parents and other adults who have a stake in the success of our children. Parent’s night also had a visit and demonstration from Sgt. Dane Kanable and K-9 Titan.

Thanks to all who attended the Storm Spotter training at the Community Center this week! We had 67 people take part in the training, where we learned things like the difference between roll clouds, shelf clouds, and wall clouds. A special thanks for Todd Shea for coming down from the LaCrosse National Weather Service station to help up be more prepared for when severe weather strikes.

President Barack Obama has proclaimed March as Red Cross Month across the country, a tradition begun by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. All of our presidents, including President Barack Obama, have designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the American Red Cross helps people across the country and around the world.

The proclamation begins: “Over a century and a half ago, as gunfire echoed through America’s skies and division flared between North and South, a trailblazing woman, Clara Barton, braved bullets and cannon fire to deliver much-needed care, comfort, and supplies to wounded soldiers of the Civil War. Undaunted by expectations of women at the time, Clara Barton persevered, as she had her whole life, and strived to aid those who sacrificed to save our Union. Determined that humanitarianism could thrive in peace as well as in conflict, she carried her resolve overseas upon the war’s end and was introduced to a relief organization in Europe that inspired her to come home to the United States and establish the American Red Cross.”

 

During Red Cross Month, the American Red Cross is recognizing the country’s everyday heroes – those who reach out to help people in need. These are the people who –

• Help disaster victims get on the road to recovery.
• Give blood to help a hospital patient
• Brighten the day of an injured service member who is in a hospital far from home.
• Take one of our lifesaving classes and step forward to assist someone having a heart attack or to save a drowning child.

The Red Cross responds to a community disaster every eight minutes, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. It provides 24-hour support to members of the military, veterans and their families at home and around the world. It must collect 14,000 units of blood everyday to fulfill the country’s needs. It trains millions of people in first aid, water safety and other lifesaving skills. And it supports the vaccination of children around the globe against measles and rubella.

Red Cross Month is a great time to become part of the Red Cross. You can work on a preparedness plan with members of your household so you are ready for emergencies. You can become a Red Cross volunteer. Or you can give blood or a financial donation.

During Red Cross Month, become a part of the Red Cross. For more information, visit: http://www.redcross.org/local/wisconsin.