Corporations take on a large amount of liability as they begin to expand beyond a small operation. Work place accidents and mismanagement can sometimes cause problems that extend beyond the confines of the business and have adverse effects on the environment and the people who live nearby. From a deadly syrupy mess to an accidental poisoning these work place disasters had consequences that reached beyond the work place and affected entire communities.

Boston Massachusetts, January 15, 1919 a truck carrying two and a half million gallons of crude molasses was traveling along a street in the North End of the city. Workers in this industrial area of town were going about their daily business when something caused the trucks cast iron tank to explode. The result was a 15 foot high wave of molasses crashing down through the street at what was reported to be a speed of around 35 miles per hour. When the wave settled many blocks were flooded and 21 people along with several horses were trapped under the sticky mess and died. More than 150 others were injured. There is no definite evidence of what caused the truck to explode but an extreme temperature jump of 39 degrees over one day is suspected to have caused pressure to build up in the tank. The mess took weeks to clean up, and the company reports around 87,000 man hours were spent doing the job.

The 1930′s in America was a very tough time so when oil was found in Rusk County, Texas the tiny town was soon one of the wealthiest areas in the country. As a symbol of wealth and to share the town’s fortune with the entire community a large school building was built with all the latest technologies including 72 natural gas heaters. These heaters soon became outdated and the school terminated their gas contract in exchange for a residue gas line that was more cost effective. When gas occurs naturally it is undetectable due to the fact that it is odorless and colorless.

These dangerous combinations lead to the minor leaks in the new line going unnoticed by school officials. The leaks caused gas to build up in a crawl space under the school. The tragedy that occurred on March 18, 1937 changed natural gas regulations forever. A teacher was in the basement doing some work with an electric sander when a spark ignited the gas that was built up under the school. The explosion that followed the initial spark
killed somewhere around 400 teachers and students and completely demolished the school. Today that remains the worst catastrophe in any US school.

An Antifungal called methyl mercury is used to help keep mold growth down while shipping barley and wheat seeds for use as seed grains. This chemical is poisonous to people and can cause serious illness or death if it is consumed. In 1971 190,000 metric tons of this treated grain was sent from America and Mexico to Barsa, Iraq. The poison warnings on the bags were only written in English and Spanish. So when the delivery was intercepted and some of the bags were stolen the contaminated grains entered the Iraqi food distribution channels. Shortly after the bags were stolen thousands of cases of mercury poisoning were reported. It is estimated that somewhere near 500 people died as a result of eating the poisoned wheat.

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The discovery of nuclear power brought about an age of cleaner energy. Nuclear power plants create more energy and release less pollution into the air than the previously used coal plants. While nuclear power seems like the perfect answer to keeping our air clean it is not without dangers. The radioactive materials used in a nuclear power plant are highly volatile and must be closely monitored in a tightly control environment. If even one small detail fails the consequences can be unimaginably disastrous. The events that occurred on April 26th 1986 in the Ukraine at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are a testament and reminder of what can happen if the safety nets put in place fail. This tragedy is considered the worst nuclear power disaster in history.

During an experiment at the plant an interruption to the cooling system designed to stabilize and cool the fuel cells caused the core of reactor 4 to melt down and explode. The explosion released a large amount of radioactive materials that spread over much of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. This disaster is one of only 2 events to reach a level 7 on the international Nuclear Event Scale and claimed more lives than any other nuclear power failure in history.

The explosion caused a contamination that required the relocation or more than 350,000 people from 1986 to 2000. All were forced to find homes in areas outside the contaminated area. The events occurrence in the former USSR makes it hard to determine the exact impact the explosion had on people in the area because so much of the data is conflicting. An undisputable 31 plant workers and emergency responders were killed during the meltdown. The reports of death from radiation in surrounding areas range with numbers from 64 people to a much higher 4,000 people.

The danger of a nuclear disaster extends far beyond the initial contamination. One of the biggest risks of radiation is the likely hood of developing cancer caused by exposure. Here again reports vary as to the number of cancer victims who died as a result of cancer related to the Chernobyl disaster ranging from the Greenpeace report of around 200,000 cases to a Russian publication sighting around 985,000 deaths between 1986 and 2004.

Perhaps the most tragic part of the event is that many might have avoided exposure if the government had responded more quickly and informed the people in surrounding communities. The Soviet Union waited two days before telling anyone about the accident. During the two days all state radio broadcasts were preempted and stations were only permitted to play classical music. When the government finally did make an announcement it came in the form of a quick 20 second commercial during a news program. It is suspected that no announcement would have been made except that dangerous levels of radiation set off warning alarms at a nuclear power plant in Sweden more than one thousand kilometers from the Chernobyl plant. An investigation into the cause of the alarms prompted the Soviet Union to admit something was wrong.

The Chernobyl disaster is said to have crippled the economic standing of the Soviet Union and was a major factor in its eventual downfall. This accident also brought about reform in the transparency of world nuclear power and encouraged many counties to establish new nuclear regulations.

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The question is legitimate and has been the cause of widespread unrest around the globe. Oil accounts for well over 35% of energy demands of all the world demands. It is not the only energy source given the existence of others like natural gas and coal, but these are not as reliable. Its formation is as a result of fossils that accumulated over many years. So is the world running out of oil? To understand this question, it is imperative that some facts about the commodity are put in perspective.

Fossils take millions of years to decay, and thus oil even takes longer to be formed. With the huge demand for the product by businesses and individual persons, it can clearly be seen that more of the energy source is being used than is being generated. Essentially, this means that it is running out.

Petroleum is a resource that is finite that is bound to be depleted sometime in future. However, this should not be taken without deeper thought. The quantity that is remaining should be considered, and after what time it will end. In real sense, this is what should cause a lot of debate. On the contrary, facts cannot be easily derived from this, given that the economy of the globe is tightly linked to the supplies of the product.

Petroleum can be found from three main sources, namely, undiscovered sources, those yet to be tapped and proven reserves. Evidently, it is close to impossible to know the exact amounts of petroleum remaining. This is of course unless there is the introduction of probability or approximations. Thus, we cannot tell with certainty when petroleum will be exhausted.

Technology advances with time and so do the methods of drilling. New drilling methods translate to rise of global reserves, and hence more steady supply. Shortages of petroleum in the past are partly associated with ancient drilling methods employed.

Scientists believe that the earth has reached the limits within which mining can be done with possibility of regeneration. This is caused by more demands and rates of mining. After this the rate undergoes a decline.

From the above, one fact is clear, petroleum has to run out some day. It is only a matter of time. Fortunately, this could take even centuries. So, is the world running out of oil? The answer is yes, but of course with the details clearly considered.

Check out our site for details about different sustainable energy sources, now. You can also find energy saving tips, today.