Sandoz Chemical Spill

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STUDENT NAME PROFESSOR NAME SUBJECT NAME 21 June 2013 Sandoz Chemical Spill Sandoz chemical spill was one of the major environment disaster caused by fire in Europe. It took place on 1st November, 1986 at a chemical factory near Basel, Switzerland. The fire broke out in the early morning in a storage building which was used for storing pesticides, mercury and other highly poisonous agricultural chemicals. It sent tons of toxic chemicals into the nearby river Rhine turning it red. The chemicals included urea, fluorescent dye, mercury, insecticides, propethampos, etrimphos, orgonochlorine metoxuron, etc. Sirens were used by the authority to alarm not only people living locally but also to people living in the nearby regions surrounding the border of France and Germany. The river flowed through Switzerland, Germany, France and Holland. This fire caused damage which was treated over the years. It was the major destruction in Europe over the decades. It injured 14 people and a fireman who was fighting hard over the blaze. They were soon treated in a nearby hospital. The damage done by the fire to the chemical factory could not be restored. It polluted the whole river as the chemicals flowed down the river Rhine. It was one of the major sources of water that flowed through four major countries of Europe. Now the contaminated water could not be used by these people. The chemicals killed many species in water. Dead fishes could be seen floating on water. Millions of fishes were killed while many varieties such as eels, salmons were even wiped out. This polluted water soon reached the North Sea showing its effect there. The Dutch were mainly worried due to the mercury present in water mixed with other chemicals. A similar incident took place in Japan. About 25 years ago mercury of extremely poisonous nature contaminated the water. This water contained fish that were

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