Impact on the Environment By Hannah Cameron

On August 4, 2020, an explosion took place at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon, killing more than 200 people, injuring thousands of others, and causing numerous environmental damages. The cause of the explosion was found to be from improperly stored ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated in 2014 from a ship owned by Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin. The news of the blast shocked the whole world, and scientists immediately went to work to determine the environmental impact. 

Before understanding the root cause of the explosion, people feared it to be a nuclear attack. Everyone going into the hospital with injuries from the blast was checked for burns and other signs of radiation exposure (nausea, vomiting, fever, seizures, etc). However, nobody tested positive or showed any signs of exposure to high levels of radiation. On August 12, 2020 environmental samples of the area determined it to be safe for non-military personnel to enter ground zero.

Fig. 1 Google map of Beirut showing the seaport and the selected sampling areas at radii 600 m, 1200 m, and 2400 m from the center of the explosion depicted by yellow, blue, and red, respectively (Google Maps 2020) 

Three sampling areas were set up to measure radiation levels, first at 600m from the explosion, second at 1200m, and the third at 2400m. Each sampling area had 8-11 samples taken at equal distances apart from each other. Measurements were done on garbage, dust, rubble/debris, and 

air. These measurements were determined to be within normal limits. The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) also reported there were no elevated levels of radiation when they tested the area in mid-September, nearly a month post-blast. 

The blast formed an orange-red mushroom cloud of toxic smoke, followed by smaller bursts of light as fireworks also being stored in the area were set off involuntarily by the heat from the explosion. The color of the smoke was caused by NO2 being released into the atmosphere, as a by-product of the severe decomposition of the ammonium nitrate as it destabilized. Two different scientific models were used to measure the environmental impacts of the Beirut explosion. ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) is simulation software developed by the Emergency Response Division (ERD), a division within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “Its primary purpose is to provide emergency response personnel estimates of the spatial extent of some common hazards associated with chemical spills.” ALOHA was used to simulate the impacts of the harmful gasses and particles that had been released following the Beirut port explosion. HYSPLIT is also simulation software, but it calculates dispersal patterns and trajectories of airborne particles. It was used to assess the impact that the blast had on local air quality. Hourly concentrations were documented on August 6, 2020 at an air quality station in Khorramabad, Iran, using their Air Pollution Monitoring System.

Fig. 5 The forward 72-h total wet/dry deposition at the ground level (gm−2) for NO2 from the Beirut explosion location (33° 90′ N and 35° 51′ E). The red dot represents the explosion location. 

 

Dispersion patterns of pollutants moved Eastward, reaching Syria, then South affecting Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran. The cloud of pollutants then moved toward Central Asia through Turkmenistan. Other areas affected included the Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.

An estimated 100,000 to 800,000 tons of toxic waste were generated by the Beirut port explosion. Chemical contaminants included pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, lead and other heavy metals. Lebanon has limited access to areas for landfills, thus creating a problem for the safe disposal of toxic waste. Lebanon also has no hazardous waste storage or treatment facilities, causing disasters like the port explosion to become a very real concern in the future. One of the only two landfills was damaged in the blast, forcing all the clean-up materials to end up at the other one and causing it to reach capacity very quickly. It became a crisis when there was nowhere to take garbage anymore. One of the main concerns following this disaster was that port officials knew that over half the bags containing the ammonium nitrate were damaged, yet nobody dealt with the problem for six years. Former prime minister Hassan Diab blamed “political corruption” for the tragedy before he resigned, shortly after the port explosion. 

In conclusion, the Beirut port explosion was a catastrophe that could have been avoided had Lebanese authorities disposed of the chemicals in a safe and timely manner. There were ways to do it, they could have worked together to figure it out. Instead, an already fragile state was thrown into even greater chaos at the hands of their leaders. Investigations are ongoing, but when will the people have closure and justice for this event? 

SOURCES: 

Sukhn, Abiad, M. G., Haidar, M., & Merhebi, F. (2021). Radiation levels following the Beirut seaport explosion: environmental survey and public dose exposure. Radiation and Environmental Biophysics, 60(2), 383–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-021-00901-1 

Broomandi, Jahanbakhshi, A., Nikfal, A., Kim, J. R., & Karaca, F. (2021). Impact assessment of Beirut explosion on local and regional air quality. Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, 14(12), 1911–1929. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-01066-y 

Sajid ur Rehman, Rida Ahmed, Kun Ma, Shuai Xu, Muhammad Adnan Aslam, Hong Bi, Jianguo Liu, Junfeng Wang. (2021). Ammonium nitrate is a risk for environment: A case study of Beirut (Lebanon) chemical explosion and the effects on environment, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 210, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111834 

Schlein, L. (2020). UN Warns of Hazardous Waste Threat After Beirut Blast. (). Washington: Federal Information & News Dispatch, LLC. Retrieved from Research Library http://libproxy.mtroyal.ca/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/reports/un-warns-hazardous-wast e-threat-after-beirut/docview/2439451123/se-2?accountid=1343 

https://www.businessinsider.com/beirut-explosion-russian-igor-grechushkin-questioned-cyprus-2020-8

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/ALOHA_Tech_Doc.pdf

https://aqms.doe.ir/