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(#5) Jilin Chemical Plant Explosions
Date: November 13, 2005
Supposedly due to inadequate response from workers who had been instructed to clear a dangerous blockage in the plant's processing tower, a string of chemical explosions erupted in Jilin City's Jilin Chemical plant in November of 2005. Tens of thousands of nearby citizens were evacuated, dozens of chemical plant workers were injured, and 6 of them were killed. As a byproduct of the explosions, over 100 tons of deadly pollutants were introduced into the nearby Songhua River, polluting nearby groundwater. Officially, the explosions were blamed on workers who inadequately cleared a dangerous blockage in the plant's processing tower.
Location: Jilin Province, China
Deaths: 6
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(#1) Guiyu's E-Waste Graveyard
Date: Current/ongoing
Probably the largest site in the world for "e-waste" (un-recycled electronic components) is located in Guiyu. The accumulation of these materials has become such a devastating problem that the entire area has been transformed into a wasteland of dismantled circuitboards and bricked iPhones. Over 80% of the world's discarded electronics end up in Guiyu. Residents suffer from an increased rate of miscarriages, and over 88% of children in the region suffer from lead poisoning.
Location: Guiyu, China
Deaths: Unknown -
(#8) Benxihu Colliery Explosion
Date: April 26, 1942
Over a third of annual deaths related to coal mining accidents occur in China. One of the most famous incidents occurred in 1942, when an amalgamation of gas and coal dust ignited inside a mine shaft. Hundreds of workers were trapped inside, and the situation was worsened by Japanese guards who sealed off the pit head and ventilators without fully evacuating the shaft first. The final death toll was well over 1,500, making it the most deadly disaster in the history of coal mining.
Location: Benxi, Liaoning, China
Deaths: 1,549 (approx) -
(#7) The Great Famine
Date: 1959 - 1961
The Great Famine is often cited as one of the worst natural disasters of all time, not only in China, but anywhere in the world. China has a history of alternating droughts and flooding, and the Chinese government has previously tried to attribute the famine to climatic forces. In reality, however, government officials colluded to exaggerate crop yields in order to seize large percentages of rice, grain, and other staple crops from farmers. This left very little food for provincial Chinese citizens to live on, and the result was widespread starvation, disease, and several documented instances of cannibalism. The final death toll is uncertain, but it easily ranks in the tens of millions.
Location: All provinces
Deaths: Between 36 and 45 million -
(#2) Tianjin Chemical Explosion
Date: August 12, 2015
Insufficient safety procedures and oversight have been blamed for a chemical warehouse explosion in Tianjin in August of 2015. At least 114 people were killed in the massive blast and ensuing fires, with another 700 injured and thousands more homeless. Toxic fumes unleashed by the explosion also posed a potentially even greater threat to the surrounding area. Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledged that the accident reminded Chinese industry of the need for increased workplace safety, describing this and similar disasters as "lessons paid for with blood."
Location: Tianjin, China
Deaths: 114+ (approximately)
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(#3) Yangtze River Pollution
Date: September 7, 2012
On September 7, 2012, residents of Chongqing awoke to discover that the city's Yangtze River had turned vibrantly red overnight. Turns out this wasn't the first time such a thing had occurred in the region: the Jian River in Luoyang had changed color similarly a few months earlier, thanks to a nearby chemical plant illegally dumping toxic dyes into the water. The Yangtze has become one of China's most corrupted rivers, with nearly a 75% increase in pollution over the past 50 years. These dramatic rises in water pollution have resulted in rampant E. Coli infections and up to 50% higher rates of infectious diseases like hepatitis and dysentery.
Location: Chongqing, China
Deaths: Unknown
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About This Tool
For millions of years, life on earth has always been threatened by natural and man-made disasters. The deadliest natural disasters in recorded history include earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and floods. Humans cannot stop natural disasters, but the harm of man-made disasters may be more serious. It is unbelievable that many tragic man-made disasters have occurred in Chinese history, and some facts have even been quickly concealed.
The random tool introduced Chinese historical facts of the 9 worst man-made disasters. There have been many man-made disasters in human history because people frantically plundered natural resources and expanded their living space.
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