Environmental disasters are accidents with serious damage to society, they can be caused by natural factors and also caused or intensified by human action.
A large part of environmental disasters is related to the irresponsible use of natural resources and also to failures or lack of safety measures in risky activities.
Environmental disasters can have effects on human health, biodiversity, food production and water quality. In addition, these events cause enormous financial damage to affected people and governments.
Environmental disasters in Brazil
Accident with cesium-137 - Goiânia, Goiás
In September 1987, two garbage collectors found a radiotherapy device in the grounds of an abandoned clinic and took the equipment to a junkyard.
In the junkyard, the device was opened for the reuse of lead and inside it was found cesium-137 chloride, a white powder similar to table salt but which emits a bright blue light in the dark.
That powder generated curiosity and was distributed to many people, who in a few hours began to feel the effects of radioactivity in the body, such as nausea, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea.
The accident generated 4 direct deaths and other deaths resulting from the complications of contamination in the following years. In addition, around 1,600 people have had health problems caused by radiation.
Understand what the radiation.
Dam failure in Mariana - Minas Gerais
On November 5, 2015, a dam belonging to the Samarco company (controlled by Vale do Rio Doce) broke and released 62 million cubic meters of tailings in the form of mud, leaving 19 dead and 6,000 families homeless.
Mud waves up to 10 meters in height destroyed the entire district of Bento Rodrigues, in the city of Mariana, causing the contamination of the Rio Doce, the destruction of vegetation and the death of animals.
The failure of this dam is considered one of the biggest environmental disasters in Brazil. In addition to human losses and the degradation of nature, fishing and tourism activities were harmed.
Disruption of the Dam in Brumadinho - Brumadinho, Minas Gerais
In 2019, another Vale dam breaks, Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão Mine, which had been built in 1976. This time, the break left 259 dead and 11 missing.
The dead were Vale employees, as as soon as the dam was breached, the avalanche of mud hit the company's facilities, such as the cafeteria and the dressing room, which were very close to the dam.
The rupture of the dam in Brumadinho is considered the biggest work accident in the history of Brazil and in addition to human damage, it also left serious environmental consequences in the region.
Northeast oil spill
In August 2019 an oil spill of unproven origin happened off the Brazilian coast. The oil spread to all northeastern states and reached Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
This was considered the biggest environmental disaster on the coast of Brazil. More than 400 beaches were affected, in a length of 3,600 km. In all, more than a thousand tons of oil were taken from the sea.
Animals such as sea turtles and the manatee were found covered in oil, in addition to several dead fish. Contamination of marine animals with oil is also a risk for humans who feed on these animals.
Environmental disasters in the world
Atomic Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Japan
At the end of World War II, in an attempt to convince Japan to surrender, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Japanese territory, in the city of Hiroshima.
It was a uranium atomic bomb, which became known as little boy. It was launched from an aircraft and exploded in the air, forming a huge wave of heat and energy that dissipated throughout the city.
Thousands of people died immediately and others died over the next few months and years due to the effects of radiation. Altogether it is estimated that at least 90,000 people have lost their lives.
But this catastrophe was not enough for the surrender of Japan, which only decides to leave the war after the second atomic bomb dropped by the United States, now in Nagasaki.
About 60,000 people died from the second bomb. In addition, radiation contamination has caused numerous illnesses and health problems and serious environmental impacts.
Temple in Nagasaki, destroyed by the atomic bomb.
Chernobyl Nuclear Accident - Ukraine
In 1986, a nuclear power plant reactor located near the city of Pripyat in Ukraine exploded due to a series of technical and human failures during a power outage simulation.
The explosion caused fires that lasted 9 days and during this period large amounts of radioactivity were released into the air. This accident was rated at level 7 on the International Nuclear Accident Scale, the highest level of that classification.
At the time of the explosion, two people were killed, but over the following months another 29 people died as a result of the immediate contamination.
There were also deaths over the next few decades and many cases of radioactively induced cancer.
Building in the city of Pripyat after a nuclear accident.
Minamata Disaster - Japan
In the year 1956, several different residents of the city of Minamata in Japan began to present health problems, such as seizures, memory loss and psychotic episodes. Many fish and birds were found dead and children were born with brain damage.
After investigations they discovered that these people had been poisoned with mercury, which had been released as waste by an industry in the region since the 1930s. Mercury contaminated fish, which were a source of food for the local population.
In all, about 700 people died as a result of the poisoning and more than 2,000 people developed illnesses from mercury contamination.
Bhopal Tragedy - India
In 1984, a pesticide factory located in Bhopal, India caused a gas called methyl isocyanate to leak. This highly toxic substance spread throughout the city and surroundings reaching more than 500,000 people.
About 3,000 people died immediately from the poisoning and another 10,000 were later put to death for direct and indirect reasons of contamination by the gas.
Causes and consequences of environmental disasters
Most environmental disasters are caused by human action and many of them are related to the current way of life and production.
Pollution, environmental degradation, high waste production and deforestation of forests, for example, are factors that can contribute to the occurrence of these catastrophes.
Many environmental disasters are also caused by negligence or human error, as was the case with some nuclear accidents that left devastating consequences.
The damage from environmental disasters can follow generations or may even be irreparable. Some of consequences of these tragedies are:
- High number of people killed, injured and homeless;
- Imbalance in ecosystems, death and extinction of animals, destruction of vegetation;
- Proliferation of diseases and government inability to respond;
- Financial losses and destruction of the local economy;
- Contamination of seas, rivers, soils and groundwater.
See also the meanings of environment pollution, logging and environmental impact.
