By Richard T. Cartwright, PE, CHMM, (IHMM, AHMP and APICS) Fellow.
Richard died April 21, 2025; honoring the work he did with hazmat history is one small way to keep his memory alive.
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 18, 1987
Cesium-137 was removed from an abandoned cancer-therapy machine in Brazil. Hundreds of people were eventually poisoned by radiation highlighting the danger that even relatively small amounts of radiation can pose. The obsolete Cesium-137 teletherapy unit was abandoned for over a year until two criminally enterprising men removed the machine. They sold it to a local junkyard, which dismantled the machine, releasing Cesium-137 that was still inside. Fascinated by glowing blue stone and completely unaware of its dangers, they distributed pieces to friends, relatives and neighbors. The Cesium was spread around so much that contamination was later found 100 miles away. Four people eventually died from exposure, including one child. Scores were hospitalized and more than 100,000 people had to be monitored for contamination. More than 40 homes were found to have high levels of contamination and had to be demolished.
September 18, 1951
John Clark, English molecular biologist, was born. He was a pioneer in applying molecular technology to farm animals. Clark made genetic modifications to produce a sheep named Tracey that give milk with human proteins. Tracy produced 35g of alpha-1-antitrypsin (used to treat cystic fibrosis) in each liter of her milk. His work set the stage for Ian Wilmut’s team at Roslin Institute to clone a sheep named Dolly, via transplanted DNA from adult sheep to unfertilized egg cell.
September 18, 1831
Siegfried Marcus, Austrian inventor, was born. He built some of the earliest internal combustion, gasoline-powered automobiles. Marcus held patents for an electric lamp and an igniter for explosives.
September 18, 1830
The historic race between a horse and an iron horse was held. Tom Thumb, the first locomotive built in America, was pitted against a real horse in a 9-mile course near Baltimore. Tom Thumb suffered multiple mechanical difficulties, including a leaky boiler.
September 18, 1819
Jean Foucault, French physicist, was born. His Foucault pendulum experimentally proved that the Earth rotates on its axis. Using a long pendulum with a heavy bob, he showed its plane rotated at a rate related to Earth’s angular velocity and latitude of the site. Foucault helped make accurate measurements of the absolute velocity of light. He showed that light travels slower in water than in air. Foucault also built a gyroscope, the Foucault’s prism, and made improvements for mirrors of reflecting telescopes.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
