RT Book, Section
A1 Das, Rupali
A1 Marty, Melanie
A1 Underwood, Marilyn C.
A2 LaDou, Joseph
A2 Harrison, Robert J.
SR Print(0)
ID 1104108379
T1 Industrial Emissions, Accidental Releases, & Hazardous Waste
T2 CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment:  Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 5e
YR 2013
FD 2013
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071808156
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1104108379
RD 2024/04/19
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).