The Assessment of Community Vulnerability to Acute Hazardous Materials Incidents
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Date
1979
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Disaster Research Center
Abstract
Description
The problem posed by hazardous chemicals manufactured, stored and transported in the United States and Canada has been well documented (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 1976). In the U.S., acute incidents involving hazardous materials in 1977 resulted in 32 deaths and 543 injuries (Johnstone, 1978). In 1978, the two railroad incidents in Waverly, Tennessee and Youngstown, Florida alone produced 24 deaths, 159 injuries, 3.3 million dollars (National Transportation Safety Board, 1978). In Canada, the total number of incidents involving hazardous products has been said to be in the neighborhood of five thousand annually.
Keywords
chemical disaster, vulnerability, risk