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 20, 2002
A glacial avalanche buried a Russian village where more than 100 people died. Higher-than-normal temperatures weakened the glacier. This broke off a 400-foot-tall chunk of ice that plunged down the side of the mountain. The resulting avalanche picked up speed, hitting close to 100 mph and traveled 20 miles, destroying everything in its path.
September 20, 1968
U.S. military spokesmen defended the use of defoliants in Vietnam, claiming that the use of chemical agents had neither appreciably altered the country’s ecology, nor produced any harmful effects on human or animal life. Defoliation was used in Vietnam to reduce dense jungle foliage so communist forces could not use it for cover, as well as to deny enemy use of crops needed for subsistence. Over 19 million gallons of the herbicides (Agents Orange, White, and Blue) were used in Vietnam. Vietnam veterans exposed to the herbicides have suffered health problems ranging from skin rashes to cancer and birth defects in their children. Similar problems, including an abnormally high incidence of miscarriages and congenital malformations, have been reported among the Vietnamese people who lived in the areas where defoliation agents were used.
September 20, 1945
Former German rocket engineers began working for the U.S. Army on the American Space Program in Huntsville, Ala.
September 20, 1893
Charles Duryea, an American inventor, test drove the first American-made gasoline-propelled automobile in Springfield, Mass. Since it didn’t need a horse, it was called a horseless carriage. The Duryea Brothers (Charles and Frank) were the first to incorporate an American business for the expressed purpose of building automobiles for sale to the public.
September 20, 1888
David Marine, an American pathologist, was born. His research on the treatment of goiter (major swelling of thyroid gland in the neck) with iodine led to the World Health Organization’s recommendation to iodize table salt.
September 20, 1878
Upton Sinclair, the American novelist and socialist activist, was born. He wrote The Jungle, a best-selling muckraking exposé of conditions in the Chicago meat-packing industry. His book made such bold statements that no publisher would touch it. He wrote about what was really in the meat that was being eaten, like rats being swept up and dumped into sausage-making machines. Sinclair self-published his book, which became a bestseller and resulted in new laws to ensure pure and safe food products. Note: Sinclair soon afterwards became a vegetarian.
September 20, 1853
Elisha Otis, an American inventor, sold his first safety elevator. It was first used only to move freight. A year later at the Crystal Palace in New York City, Otis created public interest with a daring demonstration. He was hoisted high in the air on a platform fitted with his safety feature. When he called for the rope to be cut, the safety device stopped his fall. This demonstration created public confidence in using elevators to move passengers, which made high-rise office skyscrapers feasible.
Historical hazardous materials management events are posted 365 days a year at this LinkedIn discussion group.
