COMAH: dangerous substances

The growth of industrialisation in the second half of the 20th century brought with it an increasing number of serious accidents. It soon became apparent that greater legal controls were necessary to tackle this problem. A key aspect of this much-needed regulation concerned those sites which stored dangerous substances. The first controls at a European level were a direct result of the Seveso accident in 1976, when dioxin accidentally released from a pesticide-manufacturing plant, caused 2,000 people to seek medical attention.

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