CHEMICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL INCIDENTS - Technical Hazard Sheet -
Technological Disaster Profiles Chemical incidents can be
defined as accidental or intentional events that threaten to
expose or do expose responders and/or members of the public to a
chemical hazard. Incidents can be sudden and acute, when
hazardous chemicals are ‘overtly’ released into the environment.
Incidents can also have an apparently slow onset, when there is
a ‘silent’ release. The main scenarios are: - a detected release
from a known chemical from a fixed site; - a detected release of
a known chemical from a non-fixed site; - a detected release of
an unknown chemical – typically, this will involve releases from
sites not on a hazardous site inventory, illegal/uncontrolled
dumping of chemicals, or unknown combustion products from a
chemical fire; and - a silent release, where the release was
usually unrecognised. Chemical incidents may manifest their
presence in one of two ways: - a failure in the containment of
chemicals, with or without