[ RadSafe ] How many curies were involved in Hiroshima

[Steven Dapra]

June 20

         I would add explosions at oil 
refineries.  I don't have any figures for killed 
and injured.  Besides, they would be superfluous.

         It's a hackneyed "joke" --- more people 
were killed in the back seat of (the late) Ted 
Kennedy's car than were killed at Fukushima, or 
at Three Mile Island for that matter.

Steven Dapra


At 03:01 PM 6/20/2011, you wrote:
>Here are some from Wikipedia.  I am not saying 
>these are the biggest, as they only cover a 
>brief slice of time, are mostly Northern 
>Hemisphere, and are mostly catastrophic events, 
>as opposed to long term health crushers like 
>Black Lung Disease (so if you are going to say, 
>"but Fukushima potentially will have long term 
>effects," I suspect I could come up with 10 of 
>those without much problem, too.)
>
>December 3, 1984: The Bhopal 
>disaster.  Estimates of its death toll range 
>from 4,000 to 20,000. The disaster caused the 
>region's human and animal populations severe health problems to the present.
>
>April 16, 1947: Texas City Disaster, Texas.  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 mi (40 
>km). Large steel pieces were thrown more than a 
>mile from the dock. 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 led to further explosions and fires.
>
>1932-1968: The Minamata disaster 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 for 37 years. 
>It is estimated that over 3,000 people suffered 
>various deformities, severe mercury poisoning 
>symptoms or death from what became known as Minamata disease.
>
>August, 1975 The Banqiao Dam flooded in the 
>Henan Province of China due to extraordinarily heavy rains, killing over 26,000
>
>April 26, 1986: Chernobyl disaster. At the 
>Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Prypiat, 
>Ukraine a test on reactor number four goes out 
>of control, resulting in a nuclear meltdown. The 
>ensuing steam explosion and fire killed up to 50 
>people with estimates that there may be between 
>4,000 and several hundred thousand additional 
>cancer deaths over time. Fallout could be 
>detected as far away as Canada. The Chernobyl 
>Exclusion Zone, covering portions of Belarus and 
>Ukraine surrounding Prypiat, remains poisoned 
>and mostly uninhabited. Prypiat itself was 
>totally evacuated and remains as a ghost town.
>
>January 15, 1919: The Boston Molasses Disaster. 
>A large molasses tank burst and a wave of 
>molasses rushed through the streets at an 
>estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and 
>injuring 150. The event has entered local 
>folklore, and residents claim that on hot summer 
>days the area still smells of molasses.
>
>March 25, 1911: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire 
>in New York City. 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.
>
>March 10, 1906: Courrières mine disaster in 
>Courrières, France. 1,099 workers died, 
>including children, in the worst mine accident ever in Europe.
>
>October 21, 1966: Aberfan disaster was a 
>catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil-tip 
>that occurred in the Welsh village of Aberfan, 
>killing 116 children and 28 adults.
>
>September 21, 2001: Toulouse, France. An 
>explosion at the AZF fertilizer factory killed 
>29 and injured 2,500. Extensive structural damage to nearby neighbourhoods.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu 
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Busby, Chris
>Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 1:39 PM
>To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] How many curies were involved in Hiroshima
>
>
>What industrial catastrophes are bigger than Fukushima?
>I cant think of one. But maybe there is one. Certainly not 9.
>I mean Industrial right. Not earthquakes and stuff like that.
>If we call the atmospheric tests an industrial 
>catastrophe then that one certainly.
>Also the use of uranium weapons in GW2.
>But thats probably not as bad in terms of health 
>effects as Fukushima will be. You wait.
>Chris Busby

[edit]