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On 9/21/01 (yes, 10 days after), there were a big chemical incident in Toulouse, France (one of Airbus Headquarter). The AZF plant exploded [0], blasting windo
by Xoros 9y ago
On 9/21/01 (yes, 10 days after), there were a big chemical incident in Toulouse, France (one of Airbus Headquarter).
The AZF plant exploded [0], blasting windows on thousand meters radius, killing directly 17 persons and wounded thousands.
I was at the other side of the town (not as big as Houston) and wall trembled. A friend of mine who lived about 50 miles away had her windows vibrate.
It was a terrible thing. But less than half a miles were the SNPE (National Powder and Explosive Company) and it could have turned in a major blast with thousand of death by the explosion and leak of mustard gas that were also stocked there.
The question was, and still is in my opinion : why on earth do you build chemicals plant that have a risk to explode near habitations ?!! (Or in reverse why authorize building habitations near Seveso 2 plant ?)
[0] http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/09/21/france.explosion/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/09/21/france.explos...
- flukus 9y agoMakes you wonder how terrorist proof those places are and what could be accomplished with a drone and a small bomb.
- emodendroket 9y agoRemember the nuns getting into a nuclear weapons facility? Probably not very.
- aptwebapps 9y agoIt's a good thing we made an example out of those nuns. Wouldn't want people to get ideas.
- Xoros 9y agoSince it was ten days after 9/11, there are a lot of terrorist theory for that explosion. Some even said that they saw a missile fired from a tower nearby.
- jurip 9y agoThe thing with terrorists is that they tend to announce it when they do something, otherwise it's a bit pointless.
- Shivatron 9y ago> why on earth do you build chemicals plant that have a risk to explode near habitations ?!! At least part of the answer -- at least, here in Texas -- is "because you can." Lax or nonexistent zoning laws have long exacerbated damage caused by industrial accidents, a posture state lawmakers continue to defend because it is seen as "pro-business." [1] It seems to me this is simply socializing the externalities of running, say, a fertilizer or organic peroxide plant, but that seems to be an unpopular view statewide. 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/us/after-plant-explosion-texas-remains-wary-of-regulation.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/us/after-plant-explosion-t...
- solotronics 9y agoin Texas zoning is left to the cities if they choose to even have zoning laws. If you don't want to live next to a fertilizer plant live in an incorporated city where that isn't allowed.