Engineering Disasters: A Hazardous Materials Management Perspective

Potentially harmful materials can be found everywhere. We are dependent on the unique beneficial chemical & physical properties of the materials, which we come in contact with every day. Properly managed, these beneficial materials help provide the quality of life our society has come to expect. Improperly managed, these materials can become very hazardous. A better understanding of hazardous materials management will can help to avoid future engineering disasters. 

Ever since antiquity, the impacts of hazardous materials have been both fortuitous and catastrophic. The ability to create and manage fire was probably the first fortuitous application of hazardous materials management. When properly managed, fire provides beneficial warmth and improved quality of food. Totally out of control, fire can result in catastrophic devastation to personal property, human health, and the environment. 

Pharmacology is the study of how chemicals interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. If these chemicals have beneficial medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals. Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. It is the study of symptoms, mechanisms, treatments and detection of poisons. The chief criterion regarding the toxicity of a chemical is the amount of exposure to the substance. According to Paracelsus, the father of modern toxicology who lived in the 16^th century, all substances are potentially toxic. 

Our challenge is to learn from our history of engineering & hazardous materials disasters. Otherwise, we and our public-at-large stewardship are all condemned to repeat our collective history.