Energy accidents

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill discharges 4.9 million barrels. (2010)
Rescue effort after the 2014 Soma mine disaster in Manisa, Turkey, where over 300 miners lost their lives.

Energy resources bring with them great social and economic promise, providing financial growth for communities and energy services for local economies. However, the infrastructure which delivers energy services can break down in an energy accident, sometimes causing considerable damage. Energy fatalities can occur, and with many systems deaths will happen often, even when the systems are working as intended.

Historically,

Open cut mining hazards are principally mine wall failures and vehicle collisions. In the US alone, more than 100,000 coal miners have been killed in accidents over the past century,[1] with more than 3,200 dying in 1907 alone.[2]

According to Benjamin K. Sovacool, 279 major energy accidents occurred from 1907 to 2007 and they caused 182,156 deaths with $41 billion in property damages, with these figures not including deaths from smaller accidents.[3]

However, by far the greatest energy fatalities as a result of energy generation by humanity are due to

Particulate matter (counting outdoor air pollution effects only) is estimated to cause 2.1[5][6] to 4.21 million deaths annually.[7][8]

Fatalities

Hypothetical number of global deaths which would have resulted from energy production if the world's energy production was met through a single source, in 2014.
The Farmington coal mine disaster kills 78. West Virginia, US, 1968.

According to

radio-isotope
pollution released.

In the oil and gas industry, the need for improved safety culture and training within companies is evidenced by the finding that workers new to a company are more likely to be involved in fatalities.[9]

Coal mining accidents resulted in 5,938 immediate deaths in 2005, and 4746 immediate deaths in 2006 in China alone according to the

Coalworker's pneumoconiosis (known as "black lung") a disease of the lungs caused by long-continued inhalation of coal dust. And the figure increases by 70,000 miners every year in China.[11]

Historically, coal mining has been a very dangerous activity and the list of historical

Coal mining disasters in the United States
)

In the United States, in the 2000s, after three decades of regulation on the

particulate matter that result when coal is burnt.[14]

According to the World Health Organization in 2012, urban outdoor air pollution, from the burning of fossil fuels and biomass is estimated to cause 3 million deaths worldwide per year and indoor air pollution from biomass and fossil fuel burning is estimated to cause approximately 4.3 million premature deaths.[15] In 2013, a team of researchers estimated the number of premature deaths caused by particulate matter in outdoor air pollution as 2.1 million, occurring annually.[5][6]

Economic costs

According to Benjamin Sovacool,

Liquid petroleum gas and hydro accidents have cost more than nuclear power accidents.[16]

Modern-day U.S. regulatory agencies frequently implement regulations on conventional pollution if one life or more is predicted saved per $6 million to $8 million of economic costs incurred.[17]

Selected energy accidents

See also:
Coal mining disasters in the United States, and Air pollution

See also

Specific events

References

  1. ^ a b "Former Miner Explains Culture Of Mining." NPR: National Public Radio. April 7, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Coal Mining Steeped in History". ABC News. January 5, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e Benjamin K. Sovacool. A preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, 1907–2007, Energy Policy 36 (2008), pp. 1802–1820.
  4. PMID 23330697
    . Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Fine Particulate Matter Map Shows Premature Mortality Due to Air Pollution. 2013".
  6. ^
    doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034005
    .
  7. ^ World Health Organization, ed. (25 March 2014). "7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution". Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. PMID 30910976
    .
  9. ^
    PMID 24634090
    .
  10. ^ Pozon, Ina; Puanani Mench (2006). "Coming Clean: The future of coal in the Asia-Pacific region". WWF. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  11. ^ "Coal mining: Most deadly job in China".
  12. ^ "Injury Trends in Mining". Archived from the original on 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
  13. ^ "Mine Safety and Health at a Glance". Archived from the original on 2014-04-06. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
  14. ^ "Harvard Kennedy School" (PDF).
  15. ^ "Air quality and health".
  16. S2CID 110522982. See also [1]
    , p. 968 onwards.
  17. ^ New York Times. "EPA Plans to Revisit a Touchy Topic – the Value of Saved Lives" retrieved 2012-1-11
  18. PMID 14698923. Archived from the original
    on 2008-10-14.
  19. ^ Drabek, Thomas (1995-05-18). "Disaster in Aisle 13 Revisited". Archived from the original on 2008-10-27. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  20. ISBN 978-0-520-23940-1
    .
  21. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About the Spill". Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  22. ^ "Exxon Valdez: Ten years on". BBC News. 1999-03-18. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
  23. ^ Williamson, David (December 18, 2003). "Exxon Valdez oil spill effects lasting far longer than expected, scientists say". UNC/News. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  24. ^ "Exxon Valdez oil spill still a threat: study". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. May 17, 2006. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  25. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  26. ^ http://tech.mit.edu/V112/N22/mexico.22w.html Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine Peter Eisner: “Nine officials charged in sewer-line explosions case.” The Tech. April 28, 1992.
  27. ^ a b Ben Quinn (2014-05-14). "Turkey mine explosion: more than 200 dead and hundreds trapped". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  28. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/574946.stm Pictures from the Larkhall blast
  29. ^ "China urges tighter mine supervision after deadly accident". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 23, 2002.
  30. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/china/mine_disaster.html INDEPTH: CHINA Timeline of mining disasters CBC News Online | January 5, 2006
  31. ^ "111 Miners Died in Gas Explosion in Heilongjiang Province". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  32. ^ "Eight die in Turkish gas explosion". RTÉ News. June 20, 2003.
  33. ^ "Russian explosion kills 19, injures 17". USA Today. July 11, 2005.
  34. ^ "Russian mine explosion kills 75 - CNN.com". CNN.
  35. ^ "Addio a Elisabeth la trentaduesima vittima" (in Italian). Il Tirreno. 22 December 2009. Archived from the original on December 25, 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  36. ^ "Viareggio, salgono a 18 le vittime del disastro" (in Italian). Reuters. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  37. ^ "Italian train inferno kills 16". AFP. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009. [permanent dead link]
  38. ^ Allen, Nick (7 February 2010). "Connecticut gas explosion at power plant 'leaves up to 50 dead'". London: Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 2010-02-07.[dead link]
  39. ^ "Mourners Grieve At Funerals For Connecticut Workers Who Died In Power Plant Explosion". Hartford Courant. 13 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  40. ^ "Gas blast at Conn. power plant kills at least 5". Associated Press. 7 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  41. ^ "Gulf oil spill now largest offshore spill in U.S. history as BP continues plug effort". USA Today. 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  42. ^ Leff, Lisa; Garrance Burke (September 11, 2010). "San Bruno Explosion: Residents Wait To Move Back To Burned Neighborhood". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  43. ^ McCorkell, Andrew (November 3, 2010). "Gas explosion destroys four houses and leaves 15 injured". The Independent. London.
  44. ^ "5 Canadians killed in Mexico hotel blast". CBC News.
  45. ^ a b Gould, Jens Erik (December 20, 2010). "Mexico Pipeline Blast Kills 28, Blamed on 'Criminal Gang' Stealing Fuel". Carlos Manuel Rodriguez. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  46. ^ Argen, David (December 21, 2010). "Oil: The Mexican cartels' other deadly business". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  47. ^ Más notas de México, AP (19 December 2010). "Explosión de oleoducto devasta gran parte de San Martín Texmelucan". Diario de Yucatán – Exclusiva (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  48. ^ Shahzaib Khan (13 March 2011), JAPAN SHOCKED!! Oil Refinery blast up with Massive earthquake at 8.9 magnitude
  49. ^ YomiuriShimbun, 激しい火柱 千葉の製油所火災 [Intense fireball at Chiba Refinery] (in Chinese)
  50. ^ Richard Schiffman (12 March 2013). "Two years on, America hasn't learned lessons of Fukushima nuclear disaster". The Guardian. London.
  51. ^ Martin Fackler (June 1, 2011). "Report Finds Japan Underestimated Tsunami Danger". New York Times.
  52. ^ "'No survivors in Sorange mine collapse' – The Express Tribune". 2011-03-21. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  53. ^ Nigeria oil tanker fire kills at least 95
  54. ^ "Methane blast kills 18 at Russia coal mine". Reuters. February 11, 2013.
  55. ^ "Two Basic Energy Workers Killed After Texas Well Blowout". Bloomberg.
  56. ^ "This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – April 8, 2013 - Natural Gas Watch.org". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  57. ^ "Explosion in French apartment building kills three". CBS News.
  58. ^ Peker, Emre (2014-05-14). "Turkey Coal Mine Explosion Kills More Than 200". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Energy_accidents&oldid=1212707030"