RT Book, Section A1 Wax, Paul M. A2 Nelson, Lewis S. A2 Howland, Mary Ann A2 Lewin, Neal A. A2 Smith, Silas W. A2 Goldfrank, Lewis R. A2 Hoffman, Robert S. SR Print(0) ID 1163006806 T1 Toxicologic Misfortunes and Catastrophes in History T2 Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, 11e YR 2019 FD 2019 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259859618 LK accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1163006806 RD 2024/03/29 AB Throughout history, mass poisonings have caused suffering and misfortune. From the ergot epidemics of the Middle Ages to contemporary industrial disasters, these mass events have had great political, economic, social, and environmental ramifications. Particularly within the past 100 years, as the number of toxins and potential toxins has risen dramatically, toxic disasters have become increasingly common events. The sites of some of these events—Bhopal (India), Chernobyl (Ukraine), Jonestown (Guyana), Love Canal (New York), Minamata Bay (Japan), Seveso (Italy), West Bengal (India)—have come to symbolize our increasing potential for environmental toxicity. Globalization has led to the proliferation and rapid distribution of toxic chemicals throughout the world. Many factories that store large amounts of potentially lethal chemicals are not secure. Given the increasing attention to terrorism preparedness, an appreciation of chemicals as agents of opportunity for terrorists has suddenly assumed great importance. This chapter provides an overview of some of the most consequential and historically important toxin-associated mass poisonings that represent human and environmental disasters.