By Richard T. Cartwright, PE, CHMM, (IHMM, AHMP and APICS) Fellow
The saying, “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” is more than a cliché. It is a reminder that we must constantly be learning from the past. Here’s a look back at major historical events that happened today in the world of hazardous materials.
August 30, 2010
In Chile, 33 miners trapped a half mile beneath the surface finally contacted their families for the first time in three weeks.
August 30, 2006
California became the first state to place caps on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. The Global Warming Solutions Act called for an overall 25% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions (or to 1990 levels) by 2025. This timetable would bring California close to full compliance with Kyoto Protocol, an international climate-change treaty. In 2009, President Barack Obama announced new nationwide rules on auto emissions standards, bringing them into line with those mandated by California.
August 30, 1974
A train entering a Yugoslavia station derailed; 153 people died. The train was running full speed while negotiating a curve. It should have slowed to 30 miles per hour. Instead, the train went through the stop signal at 60 mph. Worker fatigue and human error contributed to the derailment.
August 30, 1968
The chemical workers union in Minamata, Japan announced its strong regret for actions of their company, Chisso Chemical, which had dumped large amounts of mercury contaminated wastewater in a nearby bay. A union newsletter stated that it was “shameful as human beings and as workers to do nothing for the victims and to not tackle the Minamata issue and we have to regret it from the bottom of our heart.” In 2001, 2,265 victims of debilitating mercury poisoning were officially recognized (1,784 of whom have died) and more than 10,000 people have received financial compensation.
August 30, 1963
Following the realization that the U.S. and the USSR had enough nuclear capability to destroy each other and the rest of our world, a hotline communications link between the White House in Washington D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow, went into operation. It provided a direct two-way communications channel between American and Soviet governments to be used during potential international crises. Note: it was not a telephone voice link. It was a dedicated duplex wire telegraph circuit.
August 30, 1907
John Mauchly, an American physicist and engineer, was born. He helped invent the first general-purpose electronic computer, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC). The massive computer machine consumed 100 kW of electric power and contained 18,000 electronic valves. Later, his UNIVAC computer became the first commercial computer. He also introduced magnetic tape for programming.
August 30, 1871
Sir Ernest Rutherford, British nuclear physicist, was born in New Zealand. He discovered alpha and beta particles and gamma radiation. Rutherford announced that radioactive decay involves a series of transformations. With Geiger and Marsden, he devised an alpha particle scattering experiment that led to discovery of the atomic nucleus. He developed a method to artificially split light atoms.
August 30, 0030 BC
Cleopatra, the seventh queen of Egypt, died by suicide via a lethal injection of hazardous substance (the toxic venom from an asp snake bite). The asp is a poisonous Egyptian serpent and symbol of divine royalty.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
