Euclide Database for the Study of Chemical Reaction Hazards. V. Cozzani, and S. Zanelli, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Chimica Industriale e Scienza dei Materiali Università di Pisa, via Diotisalvi n.2, 1-56126 Pisa, Italy; A. Amendola, Major Accident Hazards Bureau, ISIS, Joint Research Centre of European Community, TP 670,1-21020 Ispra (VA), Italy; and M. Smeder, Swedish Rescue Services Agency, Department for Risk Management and Environmental Impact, Risk Management Division, Karolinen, S-651 80 Karlstad, Sweden
Hazards connected to industrial processing and storage of chemical substances are frequently difficult to identify. These hazards are not only deriving from the characteristics of the substances present in normal conditions. The potential hazard deriving from the release of hazardous substances generated as a consequence of accidental events should also be considered.
The present work is carried out as a part of a research project concerning the analysis of the hazards in the chemical industry deriving from the release of substances generated in "the loss of control of chemical processes" with respect to the "Seveso-11" Directive (96/82/EEC) on major-accident hazards. This topic required the collection of data on industrial accidents involving the formation and release of hazardous substances not present in normal process conditions. More than four hundred accident data files were selected. The analysis of this wide number of accident data files required the development of a specific computer tool for the storage, the management and the statistical analysis of the data. A database was developed in order to allow a complete screening of the accident data. The database was named EUCLIDE: Emission of Unwanted Compounds Linked to Industrial Disasters and Emergencies. The database includes data on accidental events involving the formation and release of hazardous substances as a consequence of the loss of control of chemical processes. Chemical and toxicological data on substances were included in the database and information on the chemical reactions responsible for their formation were collected. Substance classification with respect to the European legislation on dangerous substances (relevant for the application of the inventory criteria of the "Seveso-11" Directive) was also included. Some general information on the industrial activity concerned and on the accident consequences were reported. Plant classification with respect to the "Seveso-II" directive was considered.
The database has the main goal of relating data oil substances formed in "out of control conditions" to data on chemical characteristics of substances present in normal process conditions. The analysis of information contained in the database allowed for the identification of chemical reaction hazards difficult to identify with other tools.
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