/oss/taxonomy/term/140/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/when-you-play-fire <p>There is an old saying that if you play with fire, eventually you will get burned. The same can be said for certain chemicals. Of course, I don’t mean “play” in the literal sense. What I mean is that when chemicals are produced, especially on a large scale, as many are, accidents can happen. However, risk can be minimized by adhering to good manufacturing practice and proper handling and storage of chemicals. Unfortunately, human error, negligence and greed can take a toll.</p> Fri, 25 Jun 2021 17:12:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8769 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/shocking-catastrophe-beirut <p>The Beirut explosion may be the worst ammonium nitrate disaster in history, but it is not the first such calamity. Let’s go back to the early morning of April 16, 1947 when spectators flooded to the docks in Texas City, Texas, drawn by the bright orange flames and the massive plume of black smoke that enveloped the S.S. Grandcamp, a French ship that had caught fire in the harbour. Then, as people marveled at the inferno, and quick-thinking vendors circulated with peanuts and other refreshments, there was a reverberating explosion.</p> Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:40:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8358 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-news/disposal-chemical-weapons-oceans <p style="text-align:justify">Since World War I, the U.S. Armed Forces have routinely discarded conventional explosives, radiological waste and chemical weapons in the oceans. When this was publicly revealed by the Department of Defense in the 1960's, massive public outrage ensued. At the time it seemed that the safest method for disposing chemical weapons was by dumping them into the ocean. The rationale was that if chemical agents were released in seawater, they would be diluted to safer levels and then be broken down.</p> Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:40:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD & Alexandra Pires-Ménard, OSS Intern 2133 at /oss