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Minimata disaster
Mercury, an element that is very harmful to humans and the environment. Was released into the area from the leakage of a tank. This disaster was taken place in Minimata, Japan. -
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Published
Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring,' a critical look at pollution in the United States, jump-starts the environmental movement. Carson, a birdwatcher, discovered that heavy use of pesticides was killing off birds and making the forests 'silent.' -
President Nixon Signs NEPA
The bill forms the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to advise the President on the environment and review federal agencies' Environmental Impact Statements, required for projects that would affect the environment. -
First Earth Day
More than 20 million Americans participate in one of the largest grassroots community service movements in our history. Earth Day is now celebrated every year by almost 1 billion people worldwide. -
Lead-Based Paint Restrictions
To protect children from developmental challenges, Congress restricts use of lead-based paint in homes and on cribs and toys in the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act. -
Vehicle Fuel Economy Testing
EPA begins testing the fuel economy of cars, trucks, and other vehicles, the first step towards informing consumers about the gas mileage of their vehicles. -
Clean Air Act of 1970
Congress authorizes EPA to set national air quality, auto emission, and anti-pollution standards. The standards led to the production of the catalytic converter in 1973 by New Jersey's Engelhard Corporation. -
Bhopal disaster
Bhopal is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. In the early hours of the morning of 3 December 1984, in the centre of the city, a Union Carbide pesticide plant released 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. -
Chernobyl
In 1986, at Chernobyl, the worst nuclear disaster ever occurred. Chernobyl is a few miles north of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine (then part of the USSR). The reactor vessel containing the uranium radioactive material split and exposed the graphite moderator to air, which caused it to catch fire. -
Biosphere 2
Two major “missions” were conducted but both ran into problems. The biosphere never managed to produce enough food to sustain the participants adequately and, at times, oxygen levels became dangerously low and needed augmenting. The inhabitants opened the windows and doors thus making it an open system.