Natural human caused Disasters Essay Example for Free

Natural human caused Disasters Essay 1. The rigs malfunctioning blowouts preventer ultimately failed, but it was needed only because of human errors. Those errors originated with a team of BP engineers in Houston, such as 1. Fewer barriers to gas flow 2. Fewer centralizers to keep cement even 3. No bond log to check cement integrity 4. Pressure test misinterpreted 5. Mud barrier removed early 6. Blowouts preventer failed. 2. In the months following the Gulf oil disaster, wildlife managers, rescue crews scientists and researchers saw many immediate impacts of the oil impacting wildlife. Oil coated birds feathers, causing birds to lose their buoyancy and the ability to regulate body temperature. Mammals ingested oil causing internal bleeding, sea turtles covered in oil, dead and dying sea coral. 3. Many humans experienced respiratory problems he developed during the cleanup of the BP oil spill. People can be exposed to the chemicals in oil by breathing them, by swallowing them, or by touching them. Previous studies show consistent evidence of acute toxic effects, mainly neurological, ocular, and respiratory, of those living in exposed communities and among clean-up workers. 4. BPs stock fell by 52% in 50 days on the New York Stock Exchange, BP gas stations in the United States, the majority of which the company does not own, reported sales off between 10 and 40% due to backlash against the company. On 5 July 2010, BP reported that its own expenditures on the oil spill had reached $3.12 billion, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs. Due to the loss of the market value, BP had dropped from the second to the fourth largest of the four major oil companies by 2013 5. It was a massive spilling the Gulf of Mexico, the largest offshore spill in U.S. history. It was a result of the well blowouts that began with the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20, 2010, At 9:56 pm, Gas, oil and concrete from the Deepwater Horizon explode up the wellbore onto the deck and then catches fire. The explosion kills 11 platform workers and injured 17 others; another 98 people survive without serious physical injury 6. A massive response ensued to protect beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil  utilizing skimmer ships, 7. BP LLP owned the well that blew up, Transocean Ltd owned the rig, and Halliburton Co. conducted the key tests right before the event. 8. Victims of oil spills have few methods available to them for receiving monetary compensation. To recover from any financial losses sustained due to the BP oil spill in 2010 their options are 1) an individual law suit in civil court, 2) a class-action law suit in civil court, or 3) the court approved settlement. BP created a compensation fund, Therefore a $20 billion fund was agreed upon for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. 9. Senator Charles Schumer responded to the continuing Gulf oil leak by proposing new legislative action that would raise the liability BP could face for the disaster 1. 10. In the BP Oil Spill, more than 200 million gallons of crude oil was pumped into the Gulf of Mexico for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. Causing it to be a very large geographic issue because of the gallons of oil that were pumped into our ocean.

Vaccine Essay -- Medicine, Autism

This research paper consists of varying information coming from four published articles found on the internet related to whether the MMR vaccine causes Autism in children or not. According to the article MMR Vaccine (2010) in Black's Medical Dictionary, 42nd Edition there have been several studies and experiments performed and until this day, there is no direct link between the MMR Vaccine and Autism. Other researchers such as Robert M. Youngson (2004, 2005), who wrote in the Collins Dictionary of Medicine that: â€Å"No association has been demonstrated between autism and the use of the MMR vaccine.† (Youngson, 2004) An editorial by Stephen I. Pelton, published on March 15, 2010, in the Family Practice News Magazine stated he was happy that THE LANCET took back the paper written by Dr. Andrew J. Wakefield in 1998, which explained a relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism. According to Michelle Meadows writer of an IOM report titled â€Å"No Link Between Vaccines and Autism† the evidence did not show an association between the MMR vaccine and autism. (Meadows, 2004) Word Bank: MMR: Measles Mump Rubella Dr: Doctor IOM: Institute of Medicine Controversy between MMR Vaccination and It’s Possibility of Causing Autism in Children. Many authors have conducted research and experiments to prove the point that there is no direct link between the MMR vaccine and Autism. Newspapers, magazines, books, encyclopedias, and dictionaries all have articles written by authors who suggest that there are links and relationships between the MMR vaccine and Autism and then there are many who say there is no link. In order for one to fully understand the meaning of the vaccine, the uses, ... ... such as Robert M. Youngson (2004, 2005) who wrote in the Collins Dictionary of Medicine that: â€Å"No association has been demonstrated between autism and the use of the MMR vaccine.† (Youngson, 2004) An editorial by Stephen I. Pelton, published on March 15, 2010, in the Family Practice News Magazine stated he was happy that ‘THE LANCET’ took back the paper written by Dr. Andrew J. Wakefield in 1998, which explained a relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism. According to Michelle Meadows writer of an IOM report titled â€Å"No Link Between Vaccines and Autism† the evidence did not show an association between the MMR vaccine and autism. (Meadows, 2004) To sum it all up, PARENTS do not feel misinformed. The Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccination combination does not cause autism nor does the thimerosal additive for preservation cause autism.

Why Did the Nationalists Win the Spanish Civil War?

Achilleas Sarantaris 2/10/11 | Republicans| Nationalists| Political Strengths/weaknesses| *Caballero’s rule weakened because Republicans were politically divided due to different ideologies; communists vs. socialists who believed revolution should be postponed, anarchists who believed war could only be won through revolutionary policies. *Terror tactics to control increasing population led to resistance*’May Days† street fighting: communists and socialists vs. narchists enhanced disunity| *main strength was their unity. Franco would assume political and military command because Nationalists wanted unified command. Falange Espaniola Tradicionalista, Franco’s new merged party, had 1,070,000 members. *Supported from the church which opposed the left*Franco gained power and authority from his victories in the battlefield| Military strengths/weaknesses| *Lacked strong military leadership, no unified command; anarchists and Basques refused to be led by a central command structure. Loyal army officers were not trusted by the Republic. Dependent on hazardous ineffective militia units, different fronts operated separately| *Even though initial disunity, Africanistas contained the best troops in the country thus they could cover other forces. *Key to success was unified command. Franco’s leadership was accepted by other right-wing parties, including Italians. *Sound communicators, military equipment and large amount of junior officers together with Franco’s ability as a military leader were decisive factors. | Economic advantages/disadvantages| *Under anarchist control utilities worked by workers’ committees, collective farms set up. However they could not supply the needs of the republic to fight the war. *Production in Catalan fell by 2/3 between 1936 and 1939. *Due to Non-Intervention Committee trade only with USSR, which led to the entire gold reserves of Spain being used up| *Backed by business community, hence they could buy war supplies. *Main industrial areas under their control. *Benefited from unrestricted international trade. USA gave $700 million in credit to the Nationalists. | Foreign Assistance| *Far more limited than that of the Nationalists; main ally USSR. *No Soviet troops send to fight, only 1000 aircrafts, 750 tanks and some advisers, which had to be aid for. *International Brigade sent 35. 000 foreign volunteers with limited impact. 1938 Soviets withdrew support and IB left. Francs initial aid ended when it joined Britain’s Non-Intervention| *Foreign aid was a crucial factor in the Nationalist’s victory. *Rebels benefited from more aid of better quality than that given to Repub licans. Franco’s army airlifted by German’s to mainland. *German condor legion; 10,000 troops, 800 aircraft, 200 tanks. Italians 75,000 troops, 750 planes and 150 tanks. Portuguese 20,000 troops. *Key factor not man power, but advanced technology and equipment they received. | p

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill - 2180 Words

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill occurred on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill was the largest spill in history in front of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. This oil spill released about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean. This spill not only wreck havoc on the marine life but also the economic players that depended on ocean such as fisherman, tourism, and offshore drilling located along the gulf coast. Along will the spill the oil rig which was named Deepwater Horizon also went up in flames. This proved that the issue went far beyond just an oil rig that blew a line. Since this oil spill had drastic impacts all along the coast, BP which was the most liable for this incident faced criminal charges based on what happened. BP which knew the risks of deep ocean drilling failed to take the necessary safety procedures to reduce the risks of such incident occurring, thus was the reasoning behind placing most of the fault on them and not the other companies. The lack of regulatory oversight led to the issues and cost-cutting procedures opened the rig up to possible malfunctions like the one that occurred. During the spill into the gulf, BP sealed the well with cement which seemed to stop a majority of the oil from escaping the well. BP also recognized that the well was â€Å"dead† which was proven wrong when scientists still could conclude was leaking minor amounts of oil into the ocean. This spill not only proved to be harmful to the environment but alsoShow MoreRelatedDeepwater Horizon Oil Spill1102 Words   |  5 PagesElizalde Exam Essay 1 The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. This spill had a catastrophic on the environment causing extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. This spill is the â€Å"worst environmental disaster the US has faced†, according to White House energy adviser Carol Browner. 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The drilling rig, located 66 kilometers southeast of the Louisiana coast, left an oil gusher that was finally capped on July 15, almost 2 months later. This was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history and the largest offshore environmental disaster in the United States (Telegraph, New York Times, BBC News). It is estimatedRead MoreDeepwater Horizon Oil Spill: the Bp Disaster2305 Words   |  10 PagesAP Environmental Science Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: The BP Disaster The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the most infamous industrial environmental disasters ever. On April 20, 2010, a marine oil-drilling dig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This explosion resulted in the loss of human life, massive environmental damage, and widespread damage to the livelihood of people living along the