GEOG 1350 Lecture 9: Geography 1350 9th Lecture
9 Dec 2018
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They can vary from a single toxic chemical accident to an entire industry (e. g. , nuclear energy) Other examples may include exposure to pollutants or hazardous waste. Ex: an earthquake that causes an oil or chemical spill from a pipeline. Technological disasters involving the environment are included in this category as well. Ex: sinking of the titanic, explosions of the challenger and the columbia space shuttles. Typically, the death tolls from environmental hazards are relatively low. Vulnerability is greatest for those involved in industry or transportation systems. Workers in resource industries in hinterlands are at a higher risk (e. g. miners) Widespread: long-term (nuclear accidents, hazards leading to cumulative effects. Rare events: airplane crashes, mine collapses, shipwrecks. These are conditions that worsen slowly over time as exposure to a concentration increases. Eventually, the concentration reaches a threshold critical to human health. Situations related to this include exposure to toxic chemical, acid precipitation, groundwater contamination, and ozone depletion.
