Case Studies Of Process Plant Disasters

Book Description

Expert Trevor Kletz examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters--almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.

Learn from the mistakes of others. This invaluable and respected book examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong and why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.

* Learn from the mistakes of others with this important book!

* Examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - most of which could have been prevented

* Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies

Customer Reviews:

Enlightening stuff.......2007-08-14

Mr Kletz offers engaging technical insights with case stories arising out of his long professional experience related to accidents causing small to large property damage and bodily injury including death and demonstrates that they just arise from silly mistakes made during everyday work or by having misconceptions about the laws of physics or process engineering

It is focused on occurrences in the chemical industry but the case stories serve as an example for property loss prevention in any industry (among the chapters it delves into are: maintenance, modifications, pressure pipes and vessels, hazard of materials, computers, human errors, storage tanks, labeling)

It is a slow paced reading, written to focus on ideas and develop concepts to have something new to think about. Most suitable readers are loss control & process engineers and health and safety professionals working in any type of industry or doing field surveys for insurance companies

Excellent book.......2007-03-08

Concise review of many industrial accidents with clear recommendations to help avoid repeating them. A must read all involved with industrial plants but especially chemical plants and refineries.

Learn from other people and other companies mistakes.......2006-07-12

Learning from other people and other companies mistakes is better than to gain experience through our own mistakes, especially if those are relate to safety.

An excellent reference for the industrial practitioner interested or involved with Process Safety System, Emergency Shutdown Systems, Safety Instrumented Systems, etc. working in the process industries, who want to learn about real world examples of what can go wrong.

The incidents described could occur in any type of industrial plants, even in yours. This book doesn't provide an exhaustive analysis of process safety issues or risk control. For this type of in-depth information you could try "Loss Prevention in the Process Industries", by F. P. Lees.

Use this book as a safety manual full of stories from which you should try to get what lessons can be learned from the incidents described.

I am an Industrial Practitioner of Process Safety and Control. I have been working for more than 16 years as an Instrumentation, Automation, and Process Safety and Control Engineer for the Oil & Gas Industry. I found this book to be an aid when preparing training material for operators and technicians.

A Master Class In Hazard Avoidance And Mitigation.......2006-05-02

"What Went Wrong?" is a well thought-out book on practical safety in the chemical processing industry. The book recounts numerous actual process plant accidents and incidents, includes causes and effects, and avoidance and mitigation practices.

Some of the accidents in this book are familiar to most people (Bhopal, etc.), but most are not; this exposure to "new" material is a real strength. Another strength is the focus on "minor," seemingly inconsequential, actions that have major effects. For instance, on page 62, a company was concerned that because heating had to be shut down over a weekend that water lines would freeze, so water was replaced with alcohol. When a fire occurred the sprinklers then fed the fire. This seems obvious in retrospect, but Kletz is trying to develop foresight rather than hindsight. Kletz also includes examples of human error accidents from other fields. (An excellent example concerning radiological medicine is on pages 92-93.) Kletz always avoids simplistic "human error" diagnoses and diligently pursues root causes; he asserts correctly that in human error accidents it is "unfair to put all the blame on the person who adds the last straw."

Chapter seven concerns leaks. Thomas Fuller was right in 1732 when he said "A small leak will sink a great ship." Leaks are easy to discount as minor and routine annoyances. This chapter does an excellent job of discussing most leak-related issues. The section on "Drain Valves and Vents" is particularly well-developed, as is the section titled "Small Cocks," which makes the point that they should never be used as the sole source of isolation (especially for flammable materials above their atmospheric boiling points.) Likewise his remarks at the end of the chapter (page 162) about measurements are insightful: "Whenever possible we should measure directly what we need to know and not some other property from which it can be deduced." This was, of course, one of the major problems that triggered the Three Mile Island accident.

Chapter eight is titled "Liquefied Flammable Gases," and is an extension of chapter seven in many ways (leaks play a role in many LFG incidents.) Kletz also has an excellent discussion of the hazards of Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVEs) including dramatic examples from Feyzin, France and Duque de Caxias, Brazil. A great example (a crack propagation problem in a low temperature, nine percent nickel steel tank in Qatar) of how to mitigate and trap problems in a large-scale LFG system is on page 172, and discusses the pros and cons of different types of dike wall construction.

Chapter nine is on pipe and vessel failures. There is a good discussion of vapor cloud explosions, and while I am amazed at the scope of the author's data, even I was surprised (and amused) to find that Table 9-1 included in "transport container" column for vapor cloud explosions the note "Includes 1 zeppelin." Now that's thorough!

The book also discusses ancillary fittings (like flanges and gaskets) and equipment (like centrifuges and pumps), their common failure modes and hazard prevention methods. There is an especially good discussion of heat exchangers, furnaces, and cooling towers in chapter ten. Especially enlightening is the discussion of damage by water hammer, and the example given (see Figure 10-11, "Condensate in the steam...knocked off the impingement plate and damaged calandria tubes") illustrates the folly of ignoring precursor incidents in an accident prevention strategy. In section 10.7 Kletz discusses furnaces, and makes the statement "Never say, 'It must be safe because we have been doing it this way for years and have never had an accident'" which is an axiom that any safety professional should embrace.

Chapter eleven concerns entry into vessels, and notes that in the US each year about 63 people are killed after being overcome in inadequately prepared vessels. Of these, 40 are would-be rescuers. Any business with this type of exposure must insure that they have excellent equipment and training (including recurrent training) for people undertaking these tasks. No matter what training occurs, though, you can't protect from bad judgment. On page 232 an incident is discussed where a worker was trying to shrink-fit a bearing onto a shaft in a pit with an acetylene torch while the shaft was cooled by another worker hosing liquefied petroleum gas onto the shaft with the expected fatal results.

Chapter twelve discusses the hazards of common materials. Many situations in this book concern the misuse of water resulting in boilover, slopover, foamover, frothover, puking, or many other steam or vaporization related accidents. Compressed air is another underappreciated hazard, and is also discussed at length. Especially emphasized are reactions of air and oil mixtures and the importance of using Type 3A molecular sieves, which can avoid issues encountered in operations that dry or purify compressed air. Nitrogen is also discussed. While it is inert, Kletz makes it clear that it is not harmless using several insightful examples, including an unusual liquid nitrogen induced explosion in a pork rind processing operation on page 254.

Throughout the book Kletz emphasizes the importance of process change control, and that even slight modifications are thoroughly evaluated; this is true in all safety communities, not just the chemical processing industry. Excellent examples of training issues are throughout the book, but are specifically delineated in section 22.5 "Poor Training or Procedures."

Appendix one contains a useful discussion of relative rates of different types of incidents, while Appendix two is perhaps the best in the book, as it discusses accident reporting (page 395) and gives five excellent reasons to publish accident reports, advice that is valid in all industries.

"What Went Wrong?" is a well written book with many insights for safety professionals. It is written for the chemical industries, but is readable and useful to safety professionals in all industries. I deal largely with aviation safety (though I have a background in industrial chemical processing), and the parallels are manifold.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading other books by Trevor Kletz.

Itemized Case History of Accidents in the Chemical Industry.......2006-04-06

What I like most about this book is its index and table of contents. It is easy to find a type of accident. For example, when I turned to page 291, I found an exact, simple description of the dangers resulting from the flow of a non-conducting liquid, i.e., one with a low dielectric constant --- like toluene (2.4 compared to water with a constant of 80). "The danger is that a spark could discharge between a body of liquid and grounded metal." In other words, a high voltage shock will knock you off your feet.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote.

This is an easy-to-read text and should be required reading for all chemical engineers entering the workforce. After you read it, you can move on to more detailed engineering text on the subject of safety such as Kletz's own book, or Mark Tweeddale, or Crowl and Louvar's text. These text are for calculations, "What Went Wrong," is for a clear understanding of the dangers you will be facing.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote -- Thanks.

Average customer rating:

Excellent histrical expose about the negative inpacts of lead contamination
A little lead won't hurt ya! Look at me
A Must Read!
history, science, policy--what more could you want?

The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster
Werner Troesken
Manufacturer: M.I.T. Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0262201674

Book Description

In The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster, Werner Troesken looks at a long-running environmental and public health catastrophe: 150 years of lead pipes in local water systems and the associated sickness, premature death, political inaction, and social denial. The harmful effects of lead water pipes became apparent almost as soon as cities the world over began to install them. Doctors and scientists noted cases of acute illness and death attributable to lead in public water beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, and an editorial in the New York Herald called for the city to study the matter after a bizarre illness made headlines in 1868. But officials took no action for many years. New York City, for example, did not take any steps to reduce lead levels in water until 1992, long after the most serious damage had been done. By then, in any case, much of the old lead pipe had been replaced with safer materials.

Troesken examines the health effects of lead exposure, analyzing cases from New York City, Boston, and Glasgow and many smaller towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and England. He draws on period accounts, government reports, court decisions, and economic and demographic analysis to document the widespread nature of the problem, the recognized health effects--particularly for pregnant women and young children--and official intransigence. He presents an accessible overview of the old and new science of lead exposure--explaining, for example, why areas with soft water suffered more harmful effects than areas with hard water. And he gives us compelling and vivid accounts of the people and politics involved. The effects of lead in water continue to be felt; many older houses still have lead service pipes. The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster is essential reading for understanding this past and ongoing public health problem.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent histrical expose about the negative inpacts of lead contamination.......2007-07-01

Troesken(T) has done an excellent job of demonstrating why lead was used in ,and contined to be used in,water pipes over a period of 150 years despite a great deal of scientific and anecdotal evidence linking the lead to numerous physical ailments being available to city planners during this time period.The answer was that decision makers were penny wise and pound foolish.Lead water pipes were very cheap to build,long lasting,and easy to maintain.One area of discussion that should have been more heavily emphasized was the overwhelming connection between lead exposure and lower IQ scores.Lead exposure from birth to age 10 leads to a loss in IQ of from 6-10 points.The major groups impacted are black and Latino -Hispanic Americans getting their drinking water from city-metropolitan water systems.This accounts for about 40% to 67% of the alleged disparity in IQ scores that is supposed to exist between white and black Americans .These facts are ignored by Herrnstein and Murray in their book" The Bell Curve"(1994).

A little lead won't hurt ya! Look at me.......2007-03-31

Romans had lead in their pipes--you wanna blame the rise and fall of the Roman Empire on lead pipes? Lead is just a nuissance, ntohing more. Hech, I used to eat lead painat asa a kidd and I don't have any long erm side effects that I'm awarae of

A Must Read!.......2007-03-02

Werner Troesken presents the history of lead water pipe use without hyperbole. Instead you get scientific analysis mixed with telling anecdotes and then more scientific analysis. You might think the lack of hype would make for a boring read, but this book is truly fascinating. Mr. Troesken gives us a great example of how we don't see things until we believe in them. The copy I read was borrowed from the library, but I am buying my own copy now.

history, science, policy--what more could you want?.......2006-12-19

Troesken smoothly integrates several complex topics in a very readable style. If you wondered how lead is so toxic, as well as the surprising level of exposure to it in the past, wonder no more. He carefully establishes how common it was to be exposed to levels of lead in drinking water that were dozens of times higher than the present day EPA maximum. He establishes that public officials were loathe to do anything about it, in large part due to lead's excellent capabilities--it's malleable, strong, and cheap. And ever so toxic. Troesken concludes with a recommendation for further study on an overlooked topic--effects on human health of nonorganic toxins in the past. One more reason I'm glad to be alive now.

Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Terrorism

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Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Terrorism

Manufacturer: Springer Publishing Company
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Binding: Hardcover

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Hospital Preparation for Bioterror: A Medical and Biomedical Systems Approach (Biomedical Engineering)

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Hospital Preparation for Bioterror: A Medical and Biomedical Systems Approach (Biomedical Engineering)
Joseph H. McIssac
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Disaster Relief | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0120884402

Book Description

Hospital Preparation for Bioterror provides an extremely timely guide to improving the readiness of hospitals or healthcare organizations to manage mass casualties as a result of bioterrorism, biological warfare, and natural disasters. Contributions from leading law enforcement agencies, hospital administrators, clinical engineers, surgeons and terror-prevention professionals provide the most comprehensive, well-rounded source for this valuable information. Chapters on logistics and protecting the infrastructure help personnel distinguish the specific risks and vulnerabilities of each unique institution and assists in identifying specific solutions for disaster and bioterrorism preparedness.

·Principles and techniques discussed are applicable to all disasters, both large and small, not just bioterrorism
·Technical aspects such as hospital power and telecommunications are covered, in addition to patient care, response to mass casualties, large-scale drills, and surge capacity.
·Organized along functional lines, patient flow, medical specialty, and infrastructure
·A complimentary website with supplementary materials, check-lists, and references enhances the text and provides additional resources for preparedness.

Agent Orange on Trial: Mass Toxic Disasters in the Courts, Enlarged Edition

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Agent Orange on Trial: Mass Toxic Disasters in the Courts, Enlarged Edition
Peter H. Schuck
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0674010264

Book Description

Agent Orange on Trial is a riveting legal drama with all the suspense of a courtroom thriller. One of the Vietnam War's farthest reaching legacies was the Agent Orange case. In this unprecedented personal injury class action, veterans charge that a valuable herbicide, indiscriminately sprayed on the luxuriant Vietnam jungle a generation ago, has now caused cancers, birth defects, and other devastating health problems. Peter Schuck brilliantly recounts the gigantic confrontation between two million ex-soldiers, the chemical industry, and the federal government. From the first stirrings of the lawyers in 1978 to the court plan in 1985 for distributing a record $200 million settlement, the case, which is now on appeal, has extended the frontiers of our legal system in all directions.

In a book that is as much about innovative ways to look at the law as it is about the social problems arising from modern science, Schuck restages a sprawling, complex drama. The players include dedicated but quarrelsome veterans, a crusading litigator, class action organizers, flamboyant trial lawyers, astute court negotiators, and two federal judges with strikingly different judicial styles. High idealism, self-promotion, Byzantine legal strategies, and judicial creativity combine in a fascinating portrait of a human struggle for justice through law.

The Agent Orange case is the most perplexing and revealing example until now of a new legal genre: the mass toxic tort. Such cases, because of their scale, cost, geographical and temporal dispersion, and causal uncertainty, present extraordinarily difficult challenges to our legal system. They demand new approaches to procedure, evidence, and the definition of substantive legal rights and obligations, as well as new roles for judges, juries, and regulatory agencies. Schuck argues that our legal system must be redesigned if it is to deal effectively with the increasing number of chemical disasters such as the Bhopal accident, ionizing radiation, asbestos, DES, and seepage of toxic wastes. He imaginatively reveals the clash between our desire for simple justice and the technical demands of a complex legal system.

This is a book for all Americans interested in their environment, their legal system, their history, and their future.

Biological Weapons Defense: Infectious Diseases Counter-Bioterrorism (INFECTIOUS DISEASE)

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Simply an outstanding book!
Biological Weapons Defense

Biological Weapons Defense: Infectious Diseases Counter-Bioterrorism (INFECTIOUS DISEASE)
Luther E., Ed. Lindler
Manufacturer: Humana Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588291847

Book Description

Prominent experts in biodefense research-many from the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases-authoritatively delineate the universe of scientific, medical, and legal issues facing the biodefense research community. Regarding medical countermeasures and decontamination, the authors describe the treatment and pathogenesis of a variety of established pathogens (anthrax, plague, smallpox, Brucellosis, Glanders, and Coxiella burnettii) and review what is known about the aerosol route of infection and decontamination processes. They also examine how to discover the presence of these agents, or other previously unknown biological weapons, and detail the ongoing efforts to counter these agents, including proteomic and genomic analysis as a gateway to better diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccinations, genotyping, and forensics. Additional chapters discuss the development and use technology to identify and characterize these infectious organisms, emerging threats, and the development of countermeasures.

Customer Reviews:

Simply an outstanding book!.......2007-10-12

This book completely surpassed all of my expectations. It discusses topics from the perspective of microbiology, genetics, pathology, and of course, biological warfare. I'm more interested in the medical aspects of this topic, but the book had so much more than I could have ever expected!

My only complaint was that the CD that came with it only had an Acrobat file on it, telling me how to install Adobe's 'Digital Editions.' I assume the idea was to encourage me to purchase the electronic version of this and other books, but I was under the assumption that there would be additional material on the CD.

But nevertheless, an outstanding resource!

Biological Weapons Defense.......2006-07-12

This is a great book. The only thing I don't like is that The chapters are only numbered at the beginning of each chapter. If you just open the book randomly, you don't know what chapter you are reading.

Still Going Wrong!: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided

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A must read for professionals of industrial loss prevention

Still Going Wrong!: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided
Trevor Kletz
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0750677090

Book Description

This is Trevor Kletz's follow up to his extremely successful What Went Wrong? Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters. In it, Kletz reinforces the messages in his now-classic book of famous case histories, but the majority of the book covers points not covered in the original. This new volume will focus more on procedural changes that can be made, not only at the technical or engineering levels, but at the managerial level, to prevent disasters from happening.

* This volume follows up on the cases and strategies outlined in the original million-dollar seller: "What Went Wrong"
* Contains many new cases and areas for improvement, including the hazards of rust, corrosion, and many more new topics
* Written by the world's leading expert on industrial safety

Customer Reviews:

A must read for professionals of industrial loss prevention.......2007-08-26

A sequel of What Went Wrong?, Fourth Edition: Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters]] by Trevor Kletz

Both books referred to me by a highly qualified colleague

The author lectures about loss prevention in order to avoid accidents by way of cases he has stumbled upon during his professional experience

He shows how self-confidence, ignorance, and engineering misconceptions & myths can lead to awful tragedies in terms of property damage and loss of life

In this second book, with the same structure as "What went wrong", what I have found is far better crystal clear examples, more simple language and more concrete enlightening concepts

Having 12 years experience to date working in Health & Safety and Loss Control Engineering, and having visited more than 1000 factories of every kind and size in Argentina, (I work with a large corporate local insurance broker), both, this book and "What went wrong" helped me to understand better some subjects very difficult to comprehend (i.e risks with static electricity), just to mention one of the many

The explanations about corrosion related to tanks and the explosion in a tank that contained only water, were very enlightening indeed, I mean this last one incredible

I hope Mr Kletz publishes further work

Average customer rating:

WONDERFUL!
Tries to be all things...
Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: A useful tool
Well written, portable, multi-purpose

Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook
Fraderick R., M.D. Sidell , William C., III Patrick , Thomas R. Dashiell , Ken, M.D. Alibek , and Scott, M.D. Layne
Manufacturer: Jane's Information Group
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Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 0710625685

Book Description

Newly updated, the Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: Second Edition is an essential guide for US first responders that consolidates critical planning information and response procedures for a chem-bio incident. Fundamental on-scene procedural information includes initial response procedures, chemical agent indicator matrix, on-scene handling of biological agents, decontamination procedures, site set-up procedures with detailed graphics, and much more.

Key contents include:

Pre-incident planning

On-scene procedures

Comprehensive management checklists for rapid response

Latest triage and casualty management

Chemical-biological agent descriptions and effects

Chemical-biological agent delivery systems and methods

Management of biological casualties

Post-incident recovery including critical incident stress debriefing

Meteorological conditions

Chem-bio case studies

Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: Second Edition is also available in Latin-American Spanish, Russian and French. Please ask your local Jane's representative for details.

Intended for: First responders: Military, Police, Fire and EMS officials.

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL!.......2001-09-30

This is a wonderful book for any first responder to have.
It is very easy to use because not only does it come with on and off scene procedures, but it also has quick reference tables and charts. On a scale of 1 to 5 I give it a 10!

Tries to be all things..........2001-05-15

and falls short. Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook is much improved over the freebie notepad version they gave out a few years back, but it suffers from a lack of focus. The small size, spiral binding, and tabs suggest it is intended as a first responder or incident commander handbook, but occasional topical discourses suggest that it is meant as a textbook. As a result, it is hard to find the information that would be needed on the scene (an index helps, but only slightly), while the coverage of the various topics is too uneven for it to be a good text. In some places, it seems to be simply a compilation of information from various (US) field manuals.

There are some good ideas, but they seem to be sabotaged by the execution. The checklist version of the "Agent Indicator Matrix" (based on the Defense Protective Service model) is a good idea, but it is spread over three pages (instead of being arranged to fit on two facing pages in a landscape presentation or provided as a foldout) so that it can neither be copied easily or used easily in the book. A section on the threat of stolen military munitions, after noting that stockpiles in other countries are not as well secured as those in the US, then proceeds to a description of US weapons without describing distinguishing characteristics of chemical munitions relative to conventional munitions or how the munitions described might relate to foreign munitions.

There are also some surprising errors in the hodgepodge of facts. The volume I purchased indicates that it is from the sixth printing, so I have to presume that most typos have been corrected. One particularly egregious error is in the characterization of liquid phosgene as "...not hazardous except as a source of vapor." This statement is highlighted in a little box with a finger pointing at it on page 106, and repeated on page 108. While certainly it is the vapor that kills, liquid phosgene splashed into the eyes is known to produce opacification. Subsequently, it is stated that "Phosgene [vapor] does not damage the eyes or skin..." Yet it is well known that concentrated phosgene vapor will irritate both the skin and eyes, and, while this would not be fatal, and is usually not permanent the downplaying of these risks is certainly inappropriate, to put it mildly.

To try to close on a positive note, this book does have some good information salted in various odd spots. If you are responsible for a training program, it would be a good book for you to look at, provided it is not the only reference you use. The table of emergency decontamination materials found at a K-Mart, for instance, suggests an obvious bit of homework for your trainees.

In summary, this handbook should not be your first or only purchase, but it probably has a place in a comprehensive library. Given the reputation of Jane's, a bit more proofreading would have been in order.

Jane's Chem-Bio Handbook: A useful tool.......2000-06-07

Among those involved with the planning and implementation of specialized, multi-casualty incident response, this book is quite useful. Field personnel, command staff, and planners - all will find it helpful. I found it to be concise, packable, and physically handy. About the only thing I'd change would be to laminate the pages for weather resistance.

R.D. Lopez, Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Specialist, Dept. of Public Health

Well written, portable, multi-purpose.......2000-02-18

This book offers a concise overview of (1) on scene procedures such as triage and decontamination, (2) general characteristics of weapon classes, (3) details of specific agents, and (4) treatments. It also describes precursor chemicals and 4 case histories. It is better written and more detailed than the comparable book "First responder chem-bio handbook".

Nightmare in Bari: The World War II Liberty Ship Poison Gas Disaster and Coverup

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As Bad as it Gets
A brilliant book from a brilliant author
Unrecognized events that weave the fabric of history
For you history seekers
Reminick reveals the sacrifices made by the Merchant Marine

Nightmare in Bari: The World War II Liberty Ship Poison Gas Disaster and Coverup
Gerald Reminick
Manufacturer: Glencannon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1889901210

Book Description

On December 2, 1943 about fifty ships lay waiting at Bari, Italy for their cargoes to be unloaded. The harbor was so crowded that moored ships almost touched each other. Suddenly, the German Luftwaffe thundered down out of a clear evening sky and laid waste to the busy port. In the span of twenty minutes, the raid became the worst bombing of Allied shipping since Pearl Harbor two years earlier. In fact, this attack became known as Little Pearl Harbor. Seventeen Allied ship were destroyed. But the attack and destruction were only preludes of the horror to come. A U.S. Liberty ship laden with a topsecret cargo of mustard gas bombs received a direct hit and exploded, killing the entired crew and spreading its deadly toxic cargo across the water and through the air of Bari. The loss of life was appalling. More than one thousand Allied servicemen and more than one thousand civilians were killed. Yet, to this day, few know of the disaster at Bari. This book describes what happened, how it happened and examines the Allied coverup afterward and the fact that World War II mustard gas is seeping up through the world's oceans today.

Customer Reviews:

As Bad as it Gets.......2003-09-27

"Nightmare in Bari" is virtually a textbook example of how not to write history. Ill-written, badly researched, confusingly organized, the book is a disservice to historians, readers, and, not the least, the victims. Reminick couldn't be bothered to check either German or Italian records, so we're denied crucial information on the raid--we don't even get an estimate as to how many civilian casualties there were, only a vague "thousands", a pretty serious failing, in my opinion.

Reminick is really interested in the WW II Merchant Marine, so we get page after interminable page on what ships were present, what they were carrying, where they were bound, etc., the equivalent of telling the 9/11 story from the point of view of a fire engine manufacturer. In contrast, it's never made clear what kind of aircraft the German pilots were flying, much less who they were or what they thought about things.

There's also a number of chapters and appendixes on postwar poison gas dumping which, while interesting (and well-deserving of a volume of their own), have little to do with the topic and were obviously added to pad a 170-page book to the 200+ mark.

You will finish "Nightmare in Bari" more confused about the event than when you went in. Little worse can be said about any book.

A brilliant book from a brilliant author.......2003-02-14

Mr. Reminick, I salute you sir. Finally a piece of literature which should be required reading for not only all adults, but all kids in history classes. This book is well written and outstanding!! It must have taken many hours to write such an accurate account. This book is a must have!!

Unrecognized events that weave the fabric of history.......2001-09-24

Reminick has created a detailed historical document about a little recognized event that reaveals the full nature of events that go into the bucket of history. Nightmare in Bari reveals the sacrifice and tragedy that was endured to bring World War II to victorious closure against a great evil. In the glamorizing of WW II, the Merchant Marine is often neglected. In Reminick's book it gets true recognition. Buy the book and read it.

For you history seekers.......2001-09-17

Everybody knows about Normandy, Iwo Jima, Pearl Harbor, etc.. but it seems know one knows about the North Atlantic & Mediterranean, where more rounds of ammunition were fired, more bombs dropped, and more ships sunk than any other theater of operations. Read this book if you want to become more knowledgeable of World War 2. I know, I was there
Note: my age is 77

Reminick reveals the sacrifices made by the Merchant Marine.......2001-08-28

I have had some knowledge of the disaster at Bari for several years but this book reveals an unbelievable truth, the ultimate description of war. It is a story of incompetence, neglect, mistakes and the tragedy of friendly fire. The very definition of war is horror and this story covers it all. The friendly fire from shore guns into the allied ships and docks is not the only friendly fire casualties, the fact that we killed and wounded so many people with our own product of chemical warfare also qualifies as friendly fire. The Germans didn't gas the people. By covering up the true cause of the injuries many other people died because of improper care. Those are the accidents of war because that's what war is. Those who became irate over the friendly fire deaths of Desert Storm simply don't understand war. More than just the description of the nightmare of December 3, 1943 and the following days of suffering and death, the story divulges just how near the war brought us to the Doomsday countdown to midnight. So many times during the war we were on the threshold of mass chemical disaster, both from the Axis and Allied sides. The unbelievable amount of tonnage manufactured by both sides, if unleashed, would have killed and maimed millions of fighting men and civilians. We are not certain yet that the mass disposal of the gasses was successful enough to prevent future deaths after sixty or more years. I thought Reminick's evaluation was well taken about comparing chemical warfare to other questionable war products for killing people. Where is the line of inhuman warfare? It is all inhuman. A rifle shot between the eyes or a bayonet in the gut kills a soldier just as dead as an atomic bomb. It was clear to me that the only thing that kept the W.W. II commanders from using gas was the fear of retaliation. They would have had gas attacks square in the middle of their cities in a matter of hours and they new it. That saved us in W.W. II. Everything is relative and now nearly 60 years later the Doomsday clock is ticking again and it reads nine minutes to midnight. Now, it is nuclear weapons instead of gas. But the same rules hold true. The fear of retaliation has to be in place to stop the initial attack. The players now are different. Third world countries now have the ability to wipe out our eastern seaboard from New York City to Baltimore in one sweep. Only fear of complete annihilation of their homeland will stop them from an attack. I wish every congressman could read this book because it really is an editorial for modern day defense at any cost. This story is a shocking revelation of the greatest cover up of the war as well as one of the greatest disasters, but hidden in the book is the warning that we must always hold the biggest threat. Bill Jopes, Author of "A Voyage to Abadan".

A Hazardous Inquiry: The
<i>Rashomon</i> Effect at Love Canal

Average customer rating:

Good read, good analysis
outstanding, balanced account of the events at Love Canal

A Hazardous Inquiry: The Rashomon Effect at Love Canal
Allan Mazur
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674748336

Book Description

Love Canal. We hear these words and quickly recoil, remembering a community poisoned by toxic waste. Twenty years after the incident, Allan Mazur reexamines the circumstances that made this upstate New York neighborhood synonymous with ecological catastrophe and triggered federal "Superfund" legislation to clean up the nation's thousands of hazardous waste sites.

But is there only one true story of Love Canal? Borrowing the multi-viewpoint technique of the classic Japanese film Rashomon, Mazur's book reveals that there are many--often conflicting versions of what occurred at Love Canal. Hooker Chemical Company, which deposited the toxic wastes, explains why it subsequently donated the dump as the site for a new school. Lois Gibbs, whose son attended the school, tells of organizing the community to fight both the chemical threat and the uncaring state bureaucracy. Then there is the story of David Axelrod, New York's embattled commissioner of health, at odds with the homeowners over their assessment of the hazards and the proper extent of the state's response. We also hear from Michael Brown, the young reporter who developed the story in the Niagara Gazette and eventually brought the problem of toxic waste to national attention.

If A Hazardous Inquiry succeeded only in making us understand why one version of the events at Love Canal gained precedence over all others, it would be invaluable to policy makers, journalists, scientists, environmentalists, lawyers, and to citizens caught up in technical controversies that get played out (for better or worse) in the public arena. But the book moves beyond that to evaluate and reconcile the conflicting accounts of Love Canal, giving us a fuller, if more complex, picture than ever before. Through gripping personal tales, A Hazardous Inquiry tells how politics and journalism and epidemiology sometimes mesh, but often clash, when confronting a potential community disaster.

Customer Reviews:

Good read, good analysis.......2003-03-24

The book is divided into two parts. The first part tells the "story" of Love Canal five times, each from the perspective of a different interest group: the chemical company that produced the wastes, the homeowners affected, the New York Health Department, etc. These stories are different, often inconsistent. The second part reconciles, so far as is reasonable, the conflicting claims. Like peeling the layers of an onion to finally get to the core, we get an unusually cogent view of what really happened at Love Canal -- and what did not happen.

outstanding, balanced account of the events at Love Canal.......1998-12-17

This book provides a systematic, balanced account of the history of Love Canal as it concerns various interested groups--Hooker Chemical, Love Canal Homeowner's Association, Niagara Falls School Board, press, etc. It is unique in that it does not lean toward any one side in its recounting of the various sides of the story. Its analysis of the impact of the events and the where the responsibilities might rest is certainly one of the best I've read. Also a terrific book on EPA response to a policy crisis--it provides a springboard to further discussion of the media's role in public policy as it concerns environmental issues.

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