APES Disasters

For the midterm

What laws were created after the Love Canal disaster?

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

What were some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning?

Ataxia, numbness of hands and feet, loss of vision, and paralysis.

What caused the Minamata Bay “Disease”?

The Chisso factory opens and dumps waste into the bay and not long after begins producing Acetaldehyde. This led to mercury poisoning in the sea creatures and humans.

What legislation was created for the Minamata Bay Disease?

• Law Concerning Special Measures for Relief of Pollution-Related Health Damage (1969)

• Pollution-Related Health Damage Compensation Law (1974)

• Water pollution control law (1970)

Where is Love Canal?

A neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY

Is Love Canal still polluted?

Not officially, but still likely.

Is Minamata Bay still polluted?

Yes.

Approximately when was the Love Canal incident?

The late 1970s

When were the Kuwait Fires?

January-November 1991

Is the area of the Kuwait Fires still polluted?

Yes.

What laws and policies were created as a result of the Kuwait Fires?

• Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998

• Veterans Program Enhancement Act of 1998

• Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act of 2002

Approximately when was the Minamata Bay Disaster?

1951-1969

When was the Exxon Valdez incident?

March 24, 1989

What happened with the Exxon Valdez incident?

The ship ran into the Bligh Reef and 11 million gallons of oil were emptied into the Gulf of Alaska

What laws were created because of the Exxon Valdez incident?

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990

Is the Gulf of Alaska still polluted from the Exxon Valdez oil spill?

Yes.