Risk Assessment: Tools, Techniques, and Their Applications

4.7 Risk of Ecological Disasters

Unfortunately, the risk of another man-made ecological disaster looms just around the corner. The dumping of the reactor cores from nuclear powered ships into the Barrett's Sea by the Russian military, the other legacy nuclear sites in Russia, and other former Soviet Union Republics poses a significant potential threat to the environment. In addition, many manufacturers in developing countries are displaying the same lack of environmental concern that developed countries did in the early to late 1900s. The resulting polluted bodies of water and land have the potential to cause widespread environmental problems. In addition, even well-run companies can have a process upset that results in a chemical spill that could cause catastrophic harm to the environment. New potential environmental problems could be released into the environment at any point in time. For instance, there is little research as to the impact of nanoparticles on the environment, yet cosmetic companies are adding these to their products and each day billions are washed down the drains. Only time will tell.