CHEMICAL EMERGENCIES

INTRO:

Chemicals are a natural and important part of our environment. Even though
we often don't think about it, we use chemicals every day. Chemicals help
keep our food fresh and our bodies clean. They help our plants grow and fuel
our cars. And chemicals make it possible for us to live longer, healthier lives.
Under certain conditions, chemicals can also be poisonous or have a harmful
effect on your health. Some chemicals that are safe, and even helpful in small
amounts, can be harmful in larger quantities or under certain conditions.
Chemical accidents do happen, at home and in the community. The American
Red Cross wants you to be prepared by following our chemical emergency
preparedness recommendations.

OVERVIEW:

The term “chemical emergency” is used to refer to an event or dangerous

occurrence resulting in the release of a substance or substances that are
hazardous to human health and/or the environment in the short or the long
term. Such events or occurrences include fires, explosions, leakages or
releases of toxic substances that can cause illness, injury, disability or death,
often for a large number of people.

Chemical agents are poisonous vapors, aerosols, liquids and solids that have
toxic effects on people, animals or plants. Chemical agents can cause death
but are difficult to deliver in deadly amounts because they dissipate quickly
outdoors and are hard to produce.

This definition needs to be set alongside the concept of a “chemical accident”,

in which exposure arising from releases of a substance or substances may
result in illness or the possibility of illness. The number of people affected by a
chemical accident may be very few (even none), and illness, disability or
death may occur a considerable time (for example, several years) after the
exposure.

https://www.ready.gov/chemical
https://besafenet.net/hazards/chemical-emergencies/

How You May Be Exposed to a Chemical

You may be exposed to a chemical in three ways:
 Air and inhalation (Breathing the chemical)

We take over 20,000 breaths a day. This number can be much higher for
infants and children. The chemicals and pollutants we inhale can end up in
our lungs and blood stream. Sometimes, we can smell or taste harmful
chemicals, but it isn't always so easy. Some chemicals, like radon or carbon
monoxide, are odourless, tasteless, and invisible.

 Swallowing contaminated food, water, or medication

Many chemicals can be found in both our food and water sources. As we eat
and drink, we might swallow chemicals that can harm us. However, there are
actions you can take to limit your exposure, such as replacing older lead pipes
or refraining from heating food in plastic containers not intended for that
purpose. You can also keep your community safe by disposing of hazardous
chemicals according to your municipal guidelines.

 Touching the chemical, or coming into contact with clothing or things that
have touched the chemical

You can be exposed to chemicals by coming into contact with them through
your skin and eyes. These organs can be more sensitive to chemicals and
may react more quickly than the rest of our bodies. Wearing protective
equipment, such as gloves and eye goggles, can protect you from direct
exposure. It can also prevent you from spreading substances onto other
objects and people.
 
Remember, you may be exposed to chemicals even though you may not be
able to see or smell anything unusual.

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-effects-chemical-
exposure.html

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/
types-of-emergencies/chemical-emergency.html

What Is a Home Chemical Emergency, and a Major Chemical

Emergency?

Chemicals are a natural and important part of our environment. Even though
we often don't think about it, we use chemicals every day. They can be found
in our kitchens, medicine cabinets, basements, and garages. Chemicals help
us keep our food fresh and our bodies clean. They help our plants grow and
fuel our cars. And chemicals make it possible for us to live longer, healthier
lives.

A home chemical emergency arises when chemicals are used improperly.

Some chemicals that are safe, and even helpful in small amounts, can be
harmful in larger quantities or under certain conditions. In fact, most chemical
accidents occur in our own homes, and they can be prevented.
A major chemical emergency is an accident that releases a hazardous
amount of a chemical into the environment. Accidents can happen
underground, on railroad tracks or highways, and at manufacturing plants.
These accidents sometimes result in a fire or explosion, but many times you
cannot see or smell anything unusual.

https://www.disastercenter.com/guide/chemical.html

Some chemicals that are hazardous have been developed by military

organizations for use in warfare. Examples are nerve agents such as sarin
and VX, mustards such as sulfur mustards and nitrogen mustards, and
choking agents such as phosgene. It might be possible for terrorists to get
these chemical warfare agents and use them to harm people.

Many hazardous chemicals are used in industry (for example, chlorine,

ammonia, and benzene). Others are found in nature (for example, poisonous
plants). Some could be made from everyday items such as household
cleaners. These types of hazardous chemicals also could be obtained and
used to harm people, or they could be accidentally released.

Types and categories of hazardous chemicals

Scientists often categorize hazardous chemicals by the type of chemical or by

the effects a chemical would have on people exposed to it. The
categories/types used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are
as follows:

 Biotoxins—poisons that come from plants or animals

 Blister agents/vesicants—chemicals that severely blister the eyes,
respiratory tract, and skin on contact
 Blood agents—poisons that affect the body by being absorbed into the
blood
 Caustics (acids)—chemicals that burn or corrode people’s skin, eyes,
and mucus membranes (lining of the nose, mouth, throat, and lungs)
on contact
 Incapacitating agents—drugs that make people unable to think clearly
or that cause an altered state of consciousness (possibly
unconsciousness)
 Long-acting anticoagulants—poisons that prevent blood from clotting
properly, which can lead to uncontrolled bleeding
 Metals—agents that consist of metallic poisons
 Nerve agents—highly poisonous chemicals that work by preventing the
nervous system from working properly
 Organic solvents—agents that damage the tissues of living things by
dissolving fats and oils
 Riot control agents/tear gas—highly irritating agents normally used by
law enforcement for crowd control or by individuals for protection (for
example, mace)
  Toxic alcohols—poisonous alcohols that can damage the heart,
kidneys, and nervous system
 Vomiting agents—chemicals that cause nausea and vomiting

https://emergency.cdc.gov/chemical/overview.asp#:~:text=Choking
%2Flung%2Fpulmonary%20agents%E2%80%94,state%20of
%20consciousness%20(possibly%20unconsciousness)

EXAMPLE VIDEO:

EXAMPLE INTERNATIONAL:
Many have died, several hospitalised after a gas leak incident at
Visakhapatnam. The leak occurred at the LG Polymers Plant at around 2.30
a.m. on May 7. More than 100 have been hospitalised after complaints of
breathing difficulty and vomiting. According to reports, there was a leak of
styrene gas from the plant. Styrene is a poisonous, inflammable gas used in
plastic engineering industry. The police reached the spot at around 3 a.m. and
alerted the residents using loud speakers and siren. Water blowers are being
used to subside the gas leak effect. People have been advised to cover their
faces with wet cloth as a precautionary measure. Those living in a 5 km radius
have been affected by the gas leak. A National Disaster Response Force
team has reached the spot to evacuate people. Over 5,000 people have been
evacuated to safer places. PM Narendra Modi has convened a meeting of the
National Disaster Management Authority in the wake of the situation.

*insert video

EXAMPLE LOCAL:

ASSOCIATED MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY:

Potential health effects

Accidents or incorrect use of household chemical products may cause

immediate health effects, such as skin or eye irritation or burns, or poisoning.
There can also be longer-term health effects from chemicals. When these
occur, they are usually the result of exposure to certain chemicals over a long
period of time.

If you think you have been poisoned by chemicals, or that someone else has,
look for the following symptoms:

 vomiting
 stomach pains or diarrhoea
 confusion or inability to think
 headaches or blurred vision
 breathing difficulties
 drowsiness and fainting
 fitting
 stinging eyes, skin or throat
 burns or redness (particularly around the mouth, if the poison was
swallowed).

Depending on the chemical, these longer-term health effects might include:

 organ damage
 weakening of the immune system
 development of allergies or asthma
 reproductive problems and birth defects
 effects on the mental, intellectual or physical development of children
 cancer

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-effects-
chemical-exposure.html

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS:

The environment may be affected: chemicals can pollute the air we breathe,
the water we drink and the food we eat; they can also affect forests and lakes,
destroying wildlife and degrading ecosystems. 

Here are the harmful effects of chemicals on biodiversity:

Reduced Population
Some chemicals can cause great effects to some species metabolism. Back
when technology were not so advanced, people barely know that some
beneficial chemicals can harm non-human species. As a result, some species
are in danger of extinction. There were some animals that already extinct in
an epidemic area because of chemical contamination. This usually happens in
an environment that come in contact closely to factory that uses a lot of
factory. Reduced population is not only lessening the biodiversity but the earth
also losses some important role assigned to those species.

Disturbed Food Chain

Natural food chain is important in maintaining the balance of natural
ecosystem. However, some chemicals, especially pesticide, can cause
bioaccumulation. Bio-accumulation is when on chemical accumulates within
one’s body, usually the one in the lowest chain. And when the higher species
eat it, the chemicals accumulate even more. This can endanger the existence
of the species.
If one species lost the ability to be part of the food chain, then it will be either
extinction or sudden burst of population in an instant. For example, if snake
extincts then some species that it usually eat such as mouse and other small
animals will have flooding population. 

Polluted Habitat
Only small numbers of chemicals on the list is really soluble and will not
extend its compound in ecosystem. This causes many pollution problems in
habitat supposedly only for non-human one. Some irresponsible companies
can just throw out the waste of chemical into the river, sea, or soil.
This is certainly not a good sign to the biodiversity of ecosystem. The more
habitat becomes polluted, the more the species are in danger. Government
and citizen in general should have the awareness of how chronic the effect of
polluted habitat by regulating the law. 

Threaten Water Supplies

Soil is the one that holds the underground water and the mechanism only
works when the earth has many plants that their roots hold up the soil and the
water inside. If more plants are dying because of the chemical, then it means
a danger of water supply.

Water supply will significantly drop as the chemicals keep disturbing the
nature of the ecosystem and making the biodiversity in mess. Water supplies
obviously is not needed by human alone but also by animals and plants.
Therefore, low water supply will create a long chained effects.

Evolution Anomaly
Science found new species where it comes as the result of chemical influence
to the nature. Also, some of the species undergo degradation of bodily
function close to defect. This means, chemical is very damaging in long term
period even for the surviving part of biodiversity.

Surely, not all chemicals have this effect but when we see the long term
effect, even the chemical produced by human body can affect the biodiversity.
Whether there will be drastic evolution regarding humankind and other living
being is still something we cannot predict, but sooner or later the evidence will
be more apparent.

Poisoned Food Source

Food is really important for both human, animal, and plant. It is because it is
the main source of sustaining a life along with water. If the food is
contaminated by chemicals, it will create both short and long term problem. It
will create an accumulation that threatens the life spans of all species.

If chemical pollution keeps occurring, the life spans of all human being may
get cut and health problem will occur on earlier age. Thus, we should
minimize the use of chemical to avoid it and be more aware of some banned
chemicals just like Philippines with its List of Banned Chemicals in Philippines
and the heavy industry country P,R.C with its List of Toxic Chemicals Banned
in the P.R.C.

Forest Decline
Another effect caused by the influence of chemical in biodiversity is forest
decline. As chemicals threaten the soil especially accumulation of pesticide,
the forest will be slower in recovering as there are not enough nutrients in the
soil. As a result, both humans and other living beings will feel the impact.
Starting from elevated temperature, less source of food and woods or log. The
more polluted the soils as well as the air because of chemical, the faster the
forest will decline.

Mass Death
When a fatal case occurs such as chemical spill, it will affect the population of
the affected species. Most of the time, a mass death will occur just like a
homicide to living being. When this happens,it will lead to decreased
population as well as other pollutions caused by the remnant of the species
corpse. Chemical spill usually occurs in an area close to heavy factory.

REFERENCES:

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-effects-
chemical-exposure.html
https://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/preparedness/risk-management-
chemical-emergencies-december2017.pdf
https://emergency.cdc.gov/chemical/overview.asp#:~:text=Choking
%2Flung%2Fpulmonary%20agents%E2%80%94,state%20of
%20consciousness%20(possibly%20unconsciousness)
https://www.disastercenter.com/guide/chemical.html
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/
types-of-emergencies/chemical-emergency.html
https://www.ready.gov/chemical
https://besafenet.net/hazards/chemical-emergencies/
https://education.seattlepi.com/shortterm-longterm-effects-chemical-
pollution-4516.html