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NBC - Nuclear, Biological, Chemical

Chemical hazards are the unintended or deliberate release of a substance that is potentially harmful to humans or the environment (e.g. nerve and blistering agents, toxic industrial chemicals).

Biological hazards, according to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (1972), include germs, toxins and viruses that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops (UNODA, 1972).

Nuclear hazards involve the accidental or intentional release of potentially harmful radioactive materials from nuclear fission or fusion, such as those associated with  power plants, research reactors or nuclear weapons (HIP; IFRC).

Latest NBC additions in the Knowledge Base

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Documents and publications

Technological disruptions triggered by natural events: Identification, characterization, and management

These proceedings are the outcome of the 61st ESReDA seminar "Technological Disruptions Triggered by Natural Events: Identification, Characterization, and Management" that took place at Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 22-23 September 2022.
Pump-jack mining crude oil with the sunset
Research briefs

Wildfires increasingly threaten oil and gas drill sites, compounding potential health risks, study says

More than 100,000 oil and gas wells across the western U.S. are in areas burned by wildfires in recent decades, and some 3 million people live next to wells that in the future could be in the path of fires worsened by climate change.
University of California, Berkeley
Women conduct a disaster risk assessment in a rural village in Lao PDR.
Update

Call on stakeholders to implement the Gender Action Plan (Sendai GAP) to support implementation of the Sendai Framework

The Gender Action Plan to support implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai GAP) has been launched on 18 March 2024.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Update

Wildfire threat to Texas nuclear weapons facility highlights intersecting risks

As climate change increases the frequency or intensity of extreme events such as wildfires, there is an increase in the potential for different types of risks to coincide or for a climate-related event to trigger a cascade of non-climatic consequences.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Update

Lessons from Libby: Understanding the impact of asbestos exposure

Jean C. Pfau, Scientific Consultant at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, shares the devasting story of asbestos exposure occurring in a Rocky Mountain town of Montana and the critical lessons that can be learned from this event.
Open Access Government
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Documents and publications

Leveraging social media and crowdsourcing in disaster risk management processes in Europe

This report presents novel approaches rooted in co-created and tested processes to navigate complexity in using social media and crowd-sourcing in disasters primarily for organisations.
Update

Over 270 hazardous chemical incidents have occurred in the United States this year alone, highlighting need for stronger chemical safety regulations

Over 825 hazardous chemical incidents – including fires, explosions and harmful chemical releases – have occurred since the beginning of 2021, and over 270 incidents have occurred this year alone.
Coming Clean, Inc.
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Documents and publications

Key Findings: Chemical Incident Tracking 2021-2023

This reports summarizes key findings from data on hazardous chemical incidents collected between 1 January 2021 and 15 October 15.
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