Chemical Safety and Its Importance
Summary
TLDRIn this chemistry lecture for engineers, Joey Laxo discusses chemical safety, emphasizing its importance with real-world examples of chemical incidents, such as the Texas City disaster and the Beirut explosion. The lecture highlights the dangers of ammonium nitrate and the need for proper safety management, employee training, and awareness. It also touches on household chemical safety, advising against mixing bleach and acid, and concludes with the benefits of chemical safety in preventing accidents and ensuring legal compliance.
Takeaways
- 🔬 Chemical safety is a crucial part of the chemistry for engineers lecture series, focusing on preventing harm from chemical exposure.
- 🏗️ Historical chemical incidents, such as the Texas City disaster and the Beirut explosion, highlight the devastating consequences of improper chemical handling.
- 🌍 Chemical incidents can occur worldwide and have far-reaching impacts, affecting both people and the environment.
- 🚨 Ammonium nitrate, a common substance in fertilizers, has been involved in multiple major explosions due to its reactive nature under certain conditions.
- 🧯 Lessons from past accidents emphasize the importance of proper safety management, understanding inherent hazards, and employee training.
- 🏠 Household chemicals, like bleach and muriatic acid, can be dangerous when mixed, leading to the release of toxic gases.
- 🛡️ Chemical safety education is not only for industrial settings but also applicable to everyday life, helping prevent accidents at home.
- 🏛️ The impact of chemical incidents extends beyond immediate harm, causing long-term environmental damage and health issues.
- 📚 Understanding chemical safety is essential for creating a secure working environment and ensuring compliance with legal standards.
- ♻️ Chemical incidents can lead to significant material and equipment loss, emphasizing the economic importance of proper chemical management.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the second part of the chemical safety lecture series?
-The main focus of the second part of the chemical safety lecture series is to define chemical safety and discuss its importance, covering various chemical incidents around the world and their implications.
What are the key learning outcomes expected at the end of the chemical safety discussion?
-At the end of the chemical safety discussion, students are expected to be able to define chemical safety and discuss its importance, understand the nature of chemical hazards, and learn from the incidents discussed.
What was the cause of the silo explosion in Allpow, Germany, on September 21, 1921?
-The silo explosion in Allpow, Germany, was caused by a mixture of approximately 4,500 tons of ammonium sulfate nitrate.
What were the consequences of the ammonium nitrate explosion on the freighter Grandcamp in 1947?
-The explosion of ammonium nitrate on the freighter Grandcamp in 1947 killed almost 600 people, injured thousands, and caused significant damage to infrastructures, including the Monsanto chemical plant.
What was the impact of the Texas City refinery explosion in 2005 on the local community?
-The Texas City refinery explosion in 2005 resulted in 15 fatalities, over 150 injuries, and caused significant damage to the refinery and surrounding areas.
Why was the leakage of benzene into the Songwa River in China considered a disaster?
-The leakage of benzene into the Songwa River in China was considered a disaster because it caused millions of people to flee their homes due to the unavailability of drinking water, highlighting the severe environmental and health impact.
What is the chemical formula for ammonium nitrate, and why is it significant in the context of the lecture?
-The chemical formula for ammonium nitrate is NH4NO3. It is significant in the context of the lecture because it has been involved in multiple major chemical incidents, including the Texas City disaster and the Beirut explosion.
What are some lessons learned from the analysis of major accidents involving fertilizers?
-Some lessons learned from the analysis of major accidents involving fertilizers include the importance of proper safety management culture, knowledge of inherent hazards, and training and awareness of hazards to prevent such incidents.
Why is it dangerous to mix bleach and muriatic acid in household settings?
-Mixing bleach and muriatic acid in household settings is dangerous because it produces chlorine gas, which is toxic and can cause severe health issues or even death.
What is the significance of studying chemical safety in both industrial and domestic settings?
-Studying chemical safety is significant in both industrial and domestic settings as it helps prevent chemical incidents, reduces the risk of accidents, ensures compliance with laws, and promotes a safer working and living environment.
Outlines
🔬 Chemical Safety in Engineering: An Overview
Joey Laxo introduces the second part of the chemical safety lecture series for engineers. The lecture focuses on chemical safety, its importance, and the hazards associated with chemical exposure. It is part of the chemistry for engineers curriculum and is scheduled for the first week. The lecture reviews the definition of chemical hazards and provides historical examples of chemical incidents worldwide, such as the ammonium sulfate nitrate silo explosion in Germany in 1921, the ammonium nitrate explosion on the Grandcamp freighter in Texas in 1947, and the Bhopal disaster in India in 1984. These incidents illustrate the devastating effects of chemical mishandling and the necessity for understanding chemical safety.
💥 Lessons Learned from Chemical Disasters
This section delves into the analysis of major chemical accidents involving fertilizers, particularly ammonium nitrate, which has been a common cause of explosions. The discussion includes case studies where poor safety management, lack of hazard knowledge, and inadequate employee training were identified as contributing factors. The lecture emphasizes the importance of understanding the risks associated with chemicals, the need for regular safety training, and the implementation of proper safety procedures to prevent such accidents. It also mentions recent incidents, including the Texas City disaster in 2013 and the Beirut explosion, to highlight the ongoing relevance of these lessons.
🧪 The Chemistry Behind Fertilizer Explosions
The lecture explores the chemical reactions that lead to fertilizer explosions, using ammonium nitrate as a primary example. It explains the decomposition process of ammonium nitrate when exposed to heat, leading to the production of gases and a subsequent increase in pressure, which can result in a detonation. The section also addresses public curiosity about the safety of ammonium nitrate stored for mining activities, especially in light of recent incidents. The summary serves to educate on the chemical properties of substances that can be hazardous and the importance of proper handling and storage.
🚨 Chemical Incidents and Their Impact
This part of the lecture defines a chemical incident as any event that exposes people or the environment to chemical hazards, such as explosions, leaks, or contamination. It covers various types of chemical incidents, including industrial accidents, oil spills, and the deliberate release of chemicals. The lecture also touches on the long-term effects of chemical exposure, citing the Minamata disease outbreak caused by mercury poisoning. It underscores the importance of chemical safety in preventing such incidents and the benefits of a safe working environment, reduced staff loss, and compliance with legal standards.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Chemical Safety
💡Ammonium Nitrate
💡Chemical Incident
💡Hazard
💡Decomposition
💡Toxic Gas
💡Bhopal Disaster
💡Minamata Disease
💡Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS)
💡Compliance with Law
Highlights
Introduction to the second part of the chemical safety lecture series for engineers.
Chemical safety is crucial and is the second of seven topics under this lecture series.
Definition and importance of chemical safety are discussed, emphasizing its relevance in the workplace.
Historical chemical incidents are reviewed, including the 1921 All POW Germany silo explosion.
The 1947 Texas City disaster and its aftermath are highlighted.
The 2005 Texas City refinery explosion and its consequences are discussed.
The 1984 Bhopal disaster is described as one of the worst industrial accidents in history.
Lessons learned from major accidents involving fertilizers are presented.
The role of ammonium nitrate in several chemical explosions is explained.
The Beirut explosion in 2020 and its impact are discussed.
The chemical reaction of ammonium nitrate when exposed to fire is explained.
The dangers of mixing household chemicals like bleach and muriatic acid are highlighted.
The importance of not mixing bleach and acid at home to prevent chlorine gas production is emphasized.
Chemical incidents, such as explosions, leaks, and contamination, are defined and exemplified.
The benefits of chemical safety in reducing workplace hazards and improving the work environment are discussed.
The lecture concludes with a call to action for applying chemical safety knowledge at home and in the workplace.
Transcripts
hello everyone this is joey laxo once
again your lecturer in chemistry for
engineer
and we are now in the second part of the
chemical safety lecture series
so let me check on the presentation
there you have it
so again as mentioned
this lecture is still on chemical safety
which is a part of the chemistry
for engineers lecture series
this lesson is scheduled to be tackled
during the first week of the semester
and for this particular session a
discussion in chemical safety and its
importance is covered which is
the second of the seven topics that are
discussed
under chemical safety we are now on the
third part of our
lesson at the end of this discussion
you are expected to be able to define
chemical safety and discuss
its importance during the previous
lesson
we were able to define what hazard is
enumerated the different classifications
of work hazards and gave examples for
each of them
we also learned that chemical hazards
are substances
that may cause harm upon exposure to
them
in the next slides we are to have a view
on some occurrences of chemical
incidents around the world
in september 21 1921 eighty percent
of the homes in all pow germany were
destroyed and the roofs of houses
that were located 25 kilometers away
from the explosion area were ripped off
the incident was due to a silo explosion
containing an approximately 4
500 tons of ammonium sulfate nitrate
mixture in april 16 1947
almost 600 people were killed and left
thousands injured due to the explosion
of ammonium nitrate on the freighter
grand
the wave caused by the explosion swapped
buildings and other infrastructures
including the monsanto chemical plant
nearby
this incident killed 235
people and 3500 were
injured on march 23 2005
explosions and fire occurred during a
start-up
of an isomerization unit at texas city
refinery
which resulted in 15 fatalities and over
150
injuries in november 1 13 rather 2005
five people were killed and 70 were
injured
due to series of explosions in a
petrochemical
plant in china the disaster was due to a
malfunctioned unit for a nitration
process
hazardous compound benzene was reported
to have leaked into the songwa river
which caused millions of people to flee
their homes
due to an availability of drinking water
the incident in india in december 3 1984
is considered as one of the worst
industrial accidents in history
rain 45 tons of a compound from an
insecticide
plant was escaped
the unfortunate incident killed 15 000
to 20 000 people and around half million
survived
but they suffered respiratory problems
eye irritation blindness and other
maladies resulting from the exposure to
the toxic gas
in june 1 1974 cyclohexane vapor leaked
from a ruptured pipework
at the nipro site at flicks borough and
caused
large explosion the accident left 28
workers killed
and 36 injured on july 10
1976 in italy a reactor at the
mesa chemical plant overheated resulting
in an
explosion that exposed a triclonophenol
a chemical that is used to make
pesticides and antiseptics spread
there were no fatalities reported but
many
fell ill thousands of animals died and
thousands more were slaughtered to
prevent the toxic substance
in entering the food chain in september
21 2001
approximately 300 tons of ammonium
nitrate exploded
which killed 30 people and left 10
thousand
injuries this incident happened in
france
it also destroyed the site and wrecked
buildings three kilometer
from the city center
in november 1 1986 a fire broke in a
storage
building that housed pesticides mercury
and other highly poisonous agricultural
chemicals
ten days after the incident the
pollution from the plant traveled the
rhine river
and reached the north sea this caused a
death of
around half million fishes and some
species were entirely wiped out
among these nine major chemical
disasters worldwide enumerated by andy
bryce of independent commodity
intelligence services
three were due to ammonium nitrate
which is the same substance that caused
the explosion of a fertilizer plant in
texas city
in april 18 2013 that killed 15 people
and wiped out hundreds of homes ammonium
nitrate
is also the cause of the recent
explosion in beirut lebanon
killing more than 180 people and leaving
behind
more than 6 000 in doing
the accidents in texas usa where is that
where is that i can see it yeah there
texas city disaster and about germany
and in todos france i don't know if
i pronounce it properly
they are only some of the numerous
blasts caused by the explosion of
ammonium nitrate
with this let us explore some of the
lessons learned
from those tragic explosions as
presented in a paper
entitled lessons learned from major
accidents
involving fertilizers wherein the
results of the analysis of 25 major
accidents involving
fertilizers in europe were reviewed
please take note that ammonium nitrate
is the one that is used
as a fertilizer here's case number one
a fire occurred in a warehouse storing
fertilizers and chemical products
the first reaction of the personnel was
to attack the source of fire with
portable fire extinguishers
because there is an absence of activated
fire hose reels
the intervention of the firefighters
appeared to focus solely on the presence
of ammonium nitrate fertilizer
ignoring the nature of other chemical
products the fertilizer became
mixed with organic material
in addition poorly insulated power
cables were near the fertilizer pile
and the wooden pallets were in contact
with the fertilizer compounds
these compounds then caught fire during
the composition and released heat
accelerating the decomposition of the
fertilizer
the accident resulted in a slight injury
of three employees and 38 000 people
were evacuated for eight
hours based on the analysis one of the
lessons that were learned
was that the personnel of the
establishment
were not aware of the risks associated
with
fertilizer for case number two
self decompensation decomposition of
nitrogen phosphorus potassium
fertilizers
led to a fire in a storage silo and
release
of toxic substances mainly nitrogen
oxides
it was thought that exposure to moisture
had caused the caking in a portion of
the product
in addition the product may have been in
contact with organic material
specifically pigeon excrement moreover a
large amount of the
nitrogen phosphorus potassium
fertilizers
was stored in the same location without
proper
separation it was recommended
that a regular training on the employees
should be done
to ensure that the safety procedures and
periodic monitoring
are done religiously in case number
three
the cause of the accident was identified
as decomposition of ammonium nitrate
these conditions resulted in the
formation of a large amount of gas
leading to the rupture of the top from
over pressure leading
to explosion lapses on the hazard
identification
safety procedures and employee training
were seen as a drawbacks of the third
case
in a nutshell accidents such as those
that were discussed
were seen to have related to poor safety
management culture lack of knowledge
of the inherent hazards and the lack of
training and awareness
of hazards this are the reasons
why chemical safety is incorporated in
the subject
since it has a laboratory component
moreover you will be employed
some of you will be employed in
industrial plant where
ian there are hazardous chemical
substances
that are bar that are being employed as
part of their process
the activities to be undertaken may not
be as hazardous as the ones
that were presented but
knowing the basics on chemical safety
will save you
from those potential hazards
probably your curiosity on how
fertilizers explode are somehow
triggered
with the examples given specially that
what happened recently in beirut
is somewhat disturbing that people began
to ask
if ammonium nitrates that are stored in
subixambalas for mining activities
are safe or not all right let us feed
your
curiosity let me change my pointer
into a laser here oh what happened
let's go back recall from your general
chemistry that your ammonium nitrate
has a chemical formula nh4 nh4no3
as there stands that this substance is
solid
when energy is applied to it like fire
the molecule is no longer stable
at temperatures greater than 230 degree
celsius this ammonium nitrate decomposes
into dinitrogen oxide and water vapor
further increase in temperature say 260
to 300 degrees celsius
the dinitrogen oxide will further
decompose
into nitrogen gas and oxygen gas
because all the products are gaseous
there is a
sudden large increase in pressure
that will travel outwards at supersonic
speeds
which is referred to as detonation
what happened to beirut according to
reports was
there was a fire nearby which increased
the temperature in the area where the
ammonium nitrate was
stored your basic knowledge in chemical
safety will also save your household and
possible accidents related
to chemicals see here title
of some news articles re
accidental mix of bleach and acid kills
buffalo wild wings employee
and then we have here a research paper
entitled reactive airways
dysfunction syndrome in housewives due
to a bleach hydrochloric acid mixture so
let's see what happened
household items such as bleach your zone
rocks for example and
acid like your muriatic acid when mixed
together can be fatal depending on the
amount of toxic gas that was
inhaled by the person the active
ingredient
of your bleach is called your sodium
hypochlorite
naocl and your mariatic acid
is your diluted hydrochloric
acid when these two are mixed together
a production of chlorine gas to reoccur
chlorine gas is
toxic so please never ever mix your
bleach
and mariatic acid found in your homes
all the unfortunate events that were
shown are examples
of chemical incidents a chemical
incident
is an event that may threaten to expose
or do expose members of the public and
the environment
to a chemical hazard
an example of a chemical incident is an
explosion at a place that
stores or utilizes chemicals such as
what happened
in beirut another example is
oil spill on the photo is the oil spill
incident
from one of the old pipelines in the
western mindanao power corporation
which has been operating a bunker fueled
power plant in zamboanga city
this occurred in 2017.
a chemical leak from a storage unit
during transport
is also an example of a chemical
incident
in a day in october 6 2018 a container
vine carrying flammable chemicals were
spilled along legard
avenue as a result classes were
suspended at arelliano university
which is located on the area of the
incident as recommended by the manila
disaster risk reduction and management
office
and the bureau bureau of fire protection
another example of a chemical incident
is a deliberate
release of chemicals during times in
conflict
like when tear gases are thrown over
protesters in order
to stop the commotions
in the picture are people contracted
with a minamata disease
a neurological disorder caused by severe
mercury poisoning
this is an example of a disease outbreak
associated with a chemical
exposure the disease was first
discovered in minamata city
in kumamoto perfection
it is in japan in 1956 it was caused by
the release of methyl mercury in the
industrial wastewater
from the chisu corporation's chemical
factory
from 1932 to 1968.
this highly toxic chemical
bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish
in minamata bay and the shiranu sea
which when eaten by the local populace
resulted
in mercury poisoning this disease
outbreak
associated with chemical exposure is an
example
of a chemical incident another type of a
cameo incident is the food
and water supply chemical contamination
just like what happened in bhopal india
in 1984
after the disastrous incident soil and
water contamination in the area
was blamed for chronic health problems
and high instances of birth defects in
the area's inhabitants
and in the year 2004 the indian supreme
court ordered the state to supply
clean drinking water to the residents of
bhopal
because the ground water because of
groundwater
contamination
because everyone needs to be safe from
any chemical incident
we must study chemical safety which
tackles about the condition
of being safe during an occurrence of a
chemical incident
in addition to saving lives knowledge
on chemical safety also creates better
working environment
of course the feeling of security while
at work reduces
the psychological hazards another
advantage of chemical safety is that
it reduces the loss of trained staff
because there will be a minimum
if not elimination of occurrences that
results
in workers accidents related to chemical
mishandling
when there are no chemical incidents
just like the examples mentioned
there is also a reduction in the loss of
equipment and material
moreover the practice of chemical safety
also ensures
companies that they are compliant with
the law
here is the list of some referentials
should you wish
to go on further readings
thank you for listening that's it
for our
oh wait wait are we where are we
minimize do not minimize anyway
that's it yeah and for our second
topic under chemical safety i hope that
you enjoyed your learning
i hope that you are learning a lot and i
hope
that whatever you are learning from the
discussion you're going to apply it
starting from your own
homes tell your household members
never ever mix
your zone rocks and mariatic acids
together
because it will deliberate chlorine gas
that
is very toxic when that occurs
you go evacuate yourself to a place
where there is enough air or oxygen
so that the chlorine gas
and oxygen rather will replenish the
chlorine gas
that has been inhaled but
in the event that there are a lot okay a
large volume of the chlorine gas was
inhaled and
the person that was exposed to it is no
longer
does no longer feel good bring him or
her to the hospital
for a proper treatment so there you have
it see you in the third session
bye
hi to how to
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