chemicals, fires, and other nonhazards

[Michael Stabin <stabin@npd.ufpe.br>]

CNN Headline News, 13.02.00:

--------------------------
A trail of death flowing downstream from a Romanian gold mine through
Hungary and into Yugoslavia marks the route of a cyanide spill some are
calling Europe's worst ecological disaster since the nuclear accident at
Chernobyl.
--------------------------

Do I hear calls to shut down every plant in the world that makes cyanide,
sulfuric acid, etc.?  No.  I really can't see why the anti-techs aren't
anti-chemicals - there are far more accidents, evacuations, REAL injuries
every year than from any nuclear source. Why is Japan's (and others')
nuclear technology threatened by one, rather limited, incident, but others,
like that above, can happen regularly, and there is no threat to any
industry, no calls for closing whole manufacturing sectors?  I'm really
wondering why there is such an out of balance focus on being anti-nuke?

> Here's the story from the Montreal Gazette, 13 Feb. 2000 (needless to say,
> it was NOT posted on any web site, particularly that of the BBC World News
> service, AP, REUTERS, etc.) :
>
> AUTO-SHOP FIRE LEAVES 3 DEAD
>
> Three men were found dead in a Montreal North auto shop last night after a
> fiery blast ripped through the garage.
> The three were killed when a spark ignited gas fumes in the Racette Ave.
> shop, said Lt. Michel Savoie of the Montreal North fire department. "The
> whole room was probably a ball of fire, a flame that burst from wall to
> wall," Savoie said.
> The three were dead at least two hours before firefighters arrived, Savoie
> said.
> The men could not be identified last night. Fire investigators were trying
> to find the exact cause of the accident.
> The garage's owner discovered the men, police said.

Of course the ultimate position would be anti-fire, the first technology
that came with tangible risk (and still comes with tangible risk, as above -
the gift that keeps on giving).  Therefore, anti-electricity, etc., etc.


Michael Stabin, CHP, PhD
Departamento de Energia Nuclear/UFPE
Av. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000 - Cidade Universitaria
CEP 50740 - 540
Recife - PE
Brazil
Phone 55-81-271-8251 or 8252 or 8253
Fax  55-81-271-8250
E-mail stabin@npd.ufpe.br

"Quantum Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of"
- Steven Wright


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