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.
September 13, 1987
A radiotherapy unit containing a radioactive cesium-137 chloride source was stolen from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil. Its radioactive source unit was dismantled, broken apart and sold for scrap. Radioactive cesium-137 — exhibiting a strange, magical deep blue light — was distributed widely within the local community. Eventually, widespread contamination led to 112,000 people being examined for radioactive contamination, whereby 249 of them were found to have significant levels of radioactive material in or on their body. Several houses had to be demolished.
September 13, 1900
Without telling his American physician colleagues, Jesse Lazear, was intentionally bitten by a mosquito carrying yellow fever in Quemados, Cuba. His death, two weeks later at 34, proved the mosquito was the carrier of yellow fever.
September 13, 1898
Hannibal Goodwin, an American inventor, patented a method for making transparent, flexible roll film out of a nitrocellulose film base. Celluloid photographic film is used to make movies.
September 13, 1857
Milton Hershey, the American manufacturer who founded Hershey Chocolate Corp., was born. He built the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant in Hershey, Penn. Note: Recent studies have shown dark chocolate (cacao) improves cardiovascular health and is rich in potential cancer-fighting antioxidants. The problem is the butterfat and sugar. It is all in the dose or should we say, “you pick your own poison”?
September 13, 1851
Walter Reed, an American pathologist and bacteriologist, was born. He led U.S. Army experiments that proved that yellow fever is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito. Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. was named in his honor.
September 13, 1755
Oliver Evans, an American millwright and inventor, was born. He created the first automatic continuous corn and wheat milling operation. His automatic mill used bucket elevators to raise the grain. Conveying devices including a horizontal screw conveyor, followed by lots of small hopper buckets to heat, cool and dry the meal before gathering it into a hopper feeding the packaging area. His continuous production line took incoming corn and wheat and delivered flour packed in barrels.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
