Industrial disasters

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Industrial disasters are mass disasters caused by industrial companies, either by accident, negligence or incompetence.

• Bhopal Disaster in India. This was one of the worst industrial disasters on record. In it toxic chemicals leaked from a Union Carbide plant and killed over 15,000 people, injured many more, and caused the region's human and animal populations severe health problems to the present.
• Seveso disaster. This was an industrial accident that occurred in Seveso, Italy on July 10, 1976 in a small chemical manufacturing plant of ICMESA. Due to the release of dioxins into the atmosphere and throughout a large section of the Lombard Plain, 3,000 pets and farm animals died and, later, 70,000 animals were slaughtered to prevent dioxins from entering the food chain. In addition, 193 people in the affected areas suffered from chloracne and other symptoms. The disaster lead to the Seveso Directive, which was issued by the European Community and imposed much harsher industrial regulations.
• Minamata disaster. This was caused by the dumping of mercury compounds in Minamata Bay, Japan. The Chisso Corporation, a fertilizer and later petrochemical company, was found responsible for polluting the bay during the years 1932-1968. It is estimated that over 3,000 people suffered various deformities, severe mercury poisoning symptoms or death from what became known as Minamata disease.
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911. This was a major industrial disaster in the U.S., causing the death of more than one hundred garment workers who either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers in that industry.
• Auburn, Indiana gassing accident. On June 28, 1988, four workers at an electroplating plant in Auburn, Indiana were poisoned by hydrogen cyanide gas produced when hydrochloric acid was mixed with zinc cyanide in a cleaning operation. A fifth victim died two days later.
• Kader Toy Factory fire. On May 10, 1993, a fire started in a poorly built factory in Thailand. Exit doors were locked and the stairwell soon collapsed. 188 workers were killed, mostly young women.
• BP refinery explosion. On March 23, 2005, an explosion occurred at a petroleum refinery in Texas City, Texas, that belonged to BP. It is the third largest refinery in the United States and one of the largest in the world, processing 433,000 barrels of crude oil per day and accounting for 3% of that nation's gasoline supply. Over 100 were injured, and 15 were confirmed dead, including employees of the Fluor Corporation as well as BP. BP has since accepted that its employees contributed to the accident. Several level indicators failed, leading to overfilling of a knock out drum, and light hydrocarbons concentrated at ground level throughout the area. An nearby running diesel truck set off the explosion.
• Texas City Disaster, Texas 1947. On April 16, 1947 at 9:15 AM an explosion aboard a docked ship named the Grandcamp, and subsequent fires and explosions, is referred to as the worst industrial disaster in America. A minimum of 578 people lost their lives and another 3,500 were injured as the blast shattered windows from as far away as 25 miles (40 km). Huge boulders of steel flew into the sky to rain down more than a mile from ground zero. The origin of the explosion was fire in the cargo on board the ship. Detonation of 3,200 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer aboard the Grandcamp lead to further explosions and fires. The fertilizer shipment was to aid the struggling farmers of Europe recovering from World War II. The fire was thought to have been ignited by a discarded cigarette. Although this industrial disaster was one of the largest involving ammonium nitrate many others have been reported, including a recent one in North Korea.
• 1991 Hamlet chicken processing plant fire, where locked doors trapped workers in a burning processing plant, causing 25 deaths.

Other disasters can be considered industrial disasters, because their causes are rooted in the products or processes of industry. For example, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was severe due to the heavy concentration of lumber industry, wood houses, fuel and other chemicals in a small area.