10 MAN-MADE DISASTERS USING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - SCIENCE - 2025

Among the main disasters caused by man when using science and technology are the fatal Chernobyl accident, the Fukushima I nuclear accident and the Kuwait oil fires, among many others that have taken place on the planet.

For years science and technology have been linked to the notions of progress and advancement; They have also been related to improving the quality of life of human beings, since they facilitate the performance of most jobs. Furthermore, thanks to technology, societies can connect and share information of global interest.

The atomic bombs caused one of humanity's most fatal disasters. Source: pixabay.com

However, the irresponsible and incompetent use of science and technology has caused great havoc and disasters within civilizations throughout the world. Sometimes these disasters occur due to scientific negligence, while in other cases they are the cause of political conflict or incorrect decision-making.

Main disasters generated by humans from technology and science

1- The Chernobyl accident

It is known as the Chernobyl accident to a nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986 in Ukraine, specifically at the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin nuclear power plant.

This event is considered by experts as one of the largest environmental disasters in the history of mankind, along with the Fukushima I accident.

The causes of this disaster are still debated; However, in general, it was established that a series of tests were being carried out since the previous day that required a reduction in power, which caused several imbalances in reactor 4.

This led to the nuclear reactor overheating, causing several explosions followed by a fire that opened the lid of the reactor. This resulted in the expulsion of large amounts of radioactive material, forming a toxic cloud that rose above Europe and some areas of North America.

Some of the toxic materials that were expelled in this accident were boron carbide, europium oxide, uranium dioxide, erbium and gaphite; Experts say that the amount of toxic elements expelled in this disaster was five hundred times greater than the amount released during the bombing of Hiroshima.

The Chernobyl accident killed 31 individuals and forced the government of the Soviet Union to emergency evacuate 116,000 people. This disaster spread to 13 more countries, causing international alarm.

2- Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

These bombings consisted of a series of nuclear attacks on the Empire of Japan, carried out by the US government under President Harry Truman.

The attack was aimed at ending World War II, since at that time the Japanese government was a fundamental ally of Nazi Germany.

The bombs were dropped between August 6 and 9, 1945, although other cities had previously been bombed. During this attack some 120,000 people were killed, while another 130,000 were seriously injured.

Later, more individuals died due to exposure to the toxic elements released by these bombs, which caused different types of cancers and some cases of leukemia.

After this, the Japanese Empire completely surrendered, ending the Pacific War and, therefore, World War II. In both Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the majority of those killed and affected were civilians.

3- The Deepwater Horizon disaster

Deepwater Horizon was an oil rig located in the Gulf of Mexico, shared by Mexico, Cuba and the United States. This platform sank on April 22, 2010 as a result of an explosion that had occurred a couple of days earlier.

This event caused the largest oil spill in history, losing a total of 779,000 tons of crude oil.

The objective of Deepwater Horizon was to drill the seabed in order to create oil wells. In 2009 Deepwater created the deepest oil well of all time; however, this did not turn out as expected, causing the aforementioned accident.

During this event, 11 staff members died. Likewise, the areas of the Mississippi delta, the marshes of the mouth and some sectors of Cuba, Florida and Louisiana were affected.

4- Bhopal disaster

This event occurred on December 3, 1984 in Bhopal, located in India, and consisted of a strong leak of methyl isocyanate from a pesticide factory that belonged to Union Carbide and the Government of India.

There are several theories as to what caused this disaster and most of these lean towards inefficient maintenance and cleaning of the plant, which started an exothermic reaction that released a wide cloud of toxic gas into the atmosphere.

The release of these toxins caused the immediate death of 8,000 people, although later another 12,000 died as a result of the catastrophe. A remarkable number of livestock and other domestic living things were also lost.

As for those responsible for this negligence, they only received a sentence of two years in prison along with a payment of $ 10,600 to the company.

5- Yellow River flood of 1938

The Yellow River flood occurred in 1938 and was caused by the central Chinese government in order to slow down the advance of the Japanese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Its consequences were so catastrophic that it is considered the greatest act of environmental warfare in history.

After the Second Sino-Japanese War was declared, the Japanese army moved quickly to the southern territories of China, so the military Chiang Kai-Shek decided to demolish the dams of the Yellow River to stop the entry of his enemies.

The technological feat of collapsing these levees brought with it severe floods that destroyed vast farming territories, forcing millions of inhabitants to leave their homes to settle elsewhere.

At present the exact amount of human losses is not known, but it is believed that up to 800,000 people died.

6- The Great Fog of London

It is known as the "Great London Fog" to a period of heavy environmental pollution that was generated between December 5 and 9, 1952 throughout the city. Due to its strong repercussions on public health, it is considered one of the worst environmental impacts that have occurred.

The Great London Fog was caused by the uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels for industry and transport, as well as to heat houses during a particularly cold winter. It is believed to have killed 12,000 people, along with 100,000 sick people.

7- Fukushima I nuclear accident

That event occurred at the Fukushima I nuclear power plant in 2011, after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake violently shook the northwest coast of Japan. At that time the nuclear plant had six boiling water reactors, which caused the accident.

This disaster is considered to have reached the same severity levels as the Chernobyl accident, reaching a level 7 on the International Nuclear Accident Scale.

The lack of control of this plant led to the emission of radioisotopes in the environment, which were found in food, drinking water and other products for consumption.

8- Windscale Fire

This fire occurred in 1957 in Great Britain and occurred due to a nuclear accident that reached level 5 within the International Scale of Nuclear Accidents.

The disaster occurred due to the negligence of the authorities, as the reactors had been built in a hurry to complete the British atomic bomb plan in time.

The event resulted in the death of 240 people who suffered from cancer due to radioactive contamination, especially thyroid cancer, caused by the radioactive isotope known by the name of iodine-131.

9- Kuwait oil fires

These fires occurred during the Gulf War and were caused by the Iraqi military forces, which had decided to set fire to 700 oil wells as part of their war strategy. These fires started in January 1991 and were extinguished many months later, in November of the same year.

The disaster resulted in the loss of six million barrels per day; However, the most serious of the matter was the terrible generalized pollution that lodged both on the earth and in the atmosphere, causing an effect on global warming in an instantaneous way.

10- Dust bowl

Dust bowl is known as a phenomenon that occurred in 1930 that spread through the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. This event consisted of a severe drought that brought with it a long period of dust and earth upheavals, which had been created or favored by excessive soil management practices.

Due to the lack of humidity in the soils and their sensitivity to advances in transport and cultivation, a kind of sand was raised so thick that it even prevented the view of the sun.

During these days, one of the largest population displacements occurred, which aggravated the Great Depression in the United States. Official figures establish that three million inhabitants were displaced.

References

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3. A. The Chernobyl accident. Retrieved on June 3, 2019 from History: canalhistoria.es
4. A. (sf.) Dust Bowl. Retrieved on June 3, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
5. A. (sf) Kuwait oil fires. Retrieved on June 3, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
6. Montón, R. (2012). Do you really know what happened in Fukushima? Retrieved on June 3, 2019 from Greenpeace Spain: file-es.greenpeace.org