Risk assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Risk assessment - Essay Example One of the major man-made disasters in the Northern shore in Staten Island is the ship to ship oil transfer activities at St. George ferry terminal. For instance, on March 23, 2009, more than 3000 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean in the operation (Checker, 2009). Spillage of oil not only endangered the ecosystem in the area but also lives of people as waters and seafood become contaminated, in addition to ruining the beautiful beaches. The operation is a medium level risk that does not occur regularly, but may have serious repercussions. Another man-made hazard in the area is the many factories that operate near residential areas leaving traces of harmful and radioactive elements. For instance, On April 2 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA announced the discovery of lead levels ten times more than the acceptable limits on a site where the defunct Sedutto’s Ice Cream factory was located (Checker, 2009). This location is a few meters away from residential houses . Moreover, the urgency in the same day announced to have discovered high and alarming levels of lead and arsenic near the Veterans Park. Such materials do pose great danger to the lives of people and may be a serious predisposing factor of terminal diseases such as cancer and other respiratory diseases. The Fresh Kill, one of the largest landfills globally poses medium to high-level risk to the residents of North Shore Staten Island. The site contains all forms of hazardous materials buried to make the landfill. If the water from the landfill flows to the near residential areas the toxic materials might be a high risk. Considering the low-income class of people living next to the landfills, sanitation in these residential areas may not meet the required health standards, which is a high health risk. Moreover, a mix of factories and residential apartments in the Northern shore possess a high risk. Emissions from the factory may