TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Industrial Emissions, Accidental Releases, & Hazardous Waste A1 - Das, Rupali A1 - Marty, Melanie A1 - Underwood, Marilyn C. A2 - LaDou, Joseph A2 - Harrison, Robert J. PY - 2013 T2 - CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 5e AB - Many millions of chemical compounds are known today. Of these millions, about 84,000 are on U.S. EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) inventory of existing commercial chemicals, and approximately 1000–3000 are introduced into the market every year. In the European Union (EU) under the Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) program, the registration phase resulted in 143,000 distinct chemicals registered for use in commerce. The processing, use, transport, and disposal of these chemicals present hazards to human health. This was painfully illustrated in 1985 when an accidental release of methyl isocyanate in Bhopal, India, caused death and injury to many thousands of people, resulted in increased public awareness of the effects of chemicals released into the environment. This incident sparked a host of international regulations aimed at preventing the recurrence of a similar tragedy. Routine and accidental releases of hazardous chemicals into air and water, and releases of hazardous waste on land continue to occur. Several recent incidents reveal the critical need for emergency preparedness for intentional releases of hazardous chemical agents. The tsunami off the coast of Japan in 2011, hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast of North and Central America in 2005, and the “superstorm” that hit the northeastern United States in 2012 caused massive devastation and highlight the need to better plan for chemical releases following natural disasters. Public health and emergency planners now focus on “all-hazards planning,” including chemical, biologic, radiologic, nuclear, and explosions (CBRNE). SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/24 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1104108379 ER -