Transitions - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 112

potentially dangerous materials. The CSX Railroad has opposed the restrictions,
arguing that they violate constitutional protections and interstate commerce leg-
islation and rules. While the Graniteville chlorine leak is a recent example of
rail-related exposure to hazardous wastes, it is also a reminder that roads and rails
are in very close contact to areas where people live. And incidents are not really
that rare. Seven months before the Graniteville incident, three people died after
exposure to chlorine as a result of a derailment in San Antonio, Texas; 50 people
were hospitalized. Although a leading concern is occupational safety (the engi-
neer died in the San Antonio wreck), transportation also increases community
exposure. The two other deaths and most of the hospitalized were people living
in the neighborhood where the leak occurred.
Many metropolitan areas also have areas where rail, trucks, and automobiles
meet, so there is an increased risk of accidents. Most industrialized urban areas
have a problematic mix of high-density population centers, multiple modes of
transport, dense rail and road networks, and rail-to-rail and rail-to-truck exchange
centers. Since they are major crossroads, most cities are especially vulnerable to an
accident involving hazardous chemicals. Rerouting trains is not feasible in many
regions because transcontinental lines here run through most urban areas. So
other steps should be taken to reduce shipment risks from hazardous substances
such as chlorine, and improvements in manifest reports would make information
available immediately to first responders. At present, such information is not gen-
erally available. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, some rail companies
have been reticent to disclose what is being shipped. One local fire department
spokesman has stated that one “could almost assume there are several cars of
hazardous materials every time we see a train.” 7
The lessons from Bhopal Graniteville and other toxic clouds are many. How-
ever, a major one for green engineering is that impacts (i.e., artifacts) will occur
downstream. That is, there can be a propagation of factors that can substantially
increase the risks from an event. A number of these cannot be fully appreciated
prospectively, so factors of safety must be built into the design, and human factors
must always be seen as design constraints. The plan is only as good as the manner
in which it is implemented. If this is sloppy, failure and, tragically, disaster may
be the result.
Other important industrial accidents and events must also be added to our list,
such as the mercury releases to Minamata Bay in Japan, the effect of cadmium
exposure that lead to Itai Itai disease in many Japanese, and air pollution episodes
in Europe and the United States. Also, new products that at first appear to be
beneficial have all too often been found to be detrimental to public health and
the environment.
There is little agreement on the criteria for ranking importance of envi-
ronmental events. For example, death toll and disease (e.g., cancer, asthma, or
waterborne pathogenic disease) are often key criteria. Also, the larger the area