GEOG 3EC3 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Valdez, Alaska, Fuel Dispenser, Phosgene
23 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Lecture 9 – Sandoz Spill: November 1st, 1986: (Basel, Switzerland)
Event: fire in toxic chemical warehouse
→ Basel: Swiss/French/German borders meet
• “itzelads ONLY deep-water cargo port (Switzerland is inland = HIGH VALUE)
• ~ 500,000 inhabitants
• Historically: 1st Roman settlement
• centre of Swiss chemical & pharmaceutical industries:
▪ unlimited water access + shipping access
→ Rhine River
• Connects 9 countries, 1320km long
• Water supply for 30 million people
• Major Navigation Route
• Hydroelectricity
→ Sandoz Company: founded 1886
• 1939: started producing agro-chemicals
• 1996: merged with Ciba-Geigy and Novartis
• Sandoz Chemical Plant (est. 1945)
▪ Switzerland was not involved in WWII thus, maintained strong
industrialized basis
▪ Barrels of chemicals were stored outside; lack of awareness continued
over years
→ Schweizerhalle = large industrial area next to Rhine w/ long history of pollution
▪ originally surrounded by farmland (no ppl. = discharges not addressed)
but eventually became industrialized (more ppl. = problem)
→ The Schweizerhalle Fire: highly flammable dye was stored in barrels that were over-
exposed to heat during plastic wrapping process
• Warehouse caught on fire, continued for hours without alarms or sprinklers
• Site was completely doused in water (several million litres)
• Too much water for catch basins
• Ran off into Rhine River + contaminated groundwater
• Mayhem: air pollution, public exposed to smoke
• STORED: 1351 tons of chemicals (rotendicides, fungicides, herbicides)
• SPILL: 200 kg of mercury, 30 tons of agrochemicals
→ Impacts on River:
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• Swiss Authorities waiter 24 hours before warning countries downstream
• “adoz laied haless de
• The ‘hie Tus ‘ed: due to ed de @ site, he fiefightes doused site ith
water this water ran off into Rhine and the red dye was seen
• Ecosystem Impact
▪ Extinction of eel population
• 3 weeks no drinking water taken from Rhine
→ Clean Up of River: failed to contain spill, contamination ended up in river-bed
• > 1,000 kg of chemicals removed
• 1st: tied to suk out of ate – didt ok
• 2nd: dedge ie
→ Clean Up of Sandoz Site: mobile pumps
• 16,000 worker-days needed
• 2965 metric tons of waste
• Covered by concrete slab
• Large catch basins built
→ Economy: many companies started to assess their production (become more
sustainable)
→ Politics: Swiss Authorities list of 2000 substances that the government must be able to
track, improve chemical storage, inspections (more & better), more cooperation with
companies and with neighbouring countries
→ Social: new awareness of impacts of chemicals
• Hua Chai, “tudet Mah: ‘euie fo the ‘hie
→ Environmental: groundwater still contaminated, eels still not edible, salmon returned,
biodiversity recovery (560 species & taxa are back)
→ Legal (Sandoz):
1) New fire prevention system
2) Chemical inventory given to fire departments
3) Most toxic chemicals not stored on site
4) Catch basins were kept on site
→ Rhine River Action Plan (1987): effort to coordinate water quality protection along the
Rhine
• 8 monitoring stations
• Test: 680 compounds & pharmaceuticals
• 50-70% reduction of dangerous substances
• Protect: drinking water & 60 species of fish
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
1. Which industries have developed in Basel, and why have they chosen this city?
a. Agrochemical & Pharmaceutical Industries
b. Shipping port connects major European countries + access to water.
2. Prior to the fire, what was the quality of the water in the Rhine River?
a. It was not closely monitored but, the ecosystems were thriving (lots of fish +
eels), provided drinking water.
3. How did fighting the fire, lead to the contamination of the River?
a. Too much water = over-filled catch basins = run-off into River
4. What were the most noticeable ecological impacts of the disaster?
a. Red Dye in river; eel population deaths; shore-bed contamination
b. High fish population deaths; loss of biodiversity
5. What were the objectives of the Rhine Action Program?
a. Monitor
b. Test: compounds + pharmaceuticals
c. Protect: drinking water, protect fish species
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
