June 22, 2010

-Shun Lee

The article is about an explosion in a Henan coal mine in China that resulted in 46 deaths and a lot of injuries.

First of all, I believe that the explosion could have been avoided. Gunpowder is a very dangerous material that should be handled with extreme care. It is used in coal mines to blow deeper into the ground so that the workers can continue digging for coal. Unfortunately, the gunpowder is put in small barrels which can easily blow up with the slightest spark. Despite the risk of the bombs, the person responsible for the bomb in the Henan coal mine wasn’t careful and accidentally set off the bomb and killed many innocent workers. The time of the explosion was about 1:40 am, a time when a lot of people would have been asleep or would be very droopy. The worker may have lighted up a cigarette and disposed the still-inflamed matchstick on the ground where it could have touched onto some gunpowder and caused an explosion.

Not only that, whenever a bomb is going to be detonated, the area should be evacuated with only a few people maximum inside to avoid a lot of injuries if anything went wrong. However, at the time of the explosion, the workers were still continuing with their work with no idea that a bomb was going to be detonated.

In addition, the coal mine lacked regular checking while trying to meet soaring demands as China relies on coal-generated power for about 70% of electricity needs. The tunnels in the coal mine were probably supported only by wooden poles. Unfortunately, termites easily infect wood in humid places like coal mines and can cause serious damage if regular inspection is not conducted. If tunnels are inspected and repaired regularly, then even if an explosion occurs, the tunnels itself won’t collapse easily allowing a quick escape for survivors as well as a fast entrance for rescue teams.

In conclusion, the amount of coal is not unlimited on Earth. By continually digging up coal to burn, not only will the supply run out quickly, the natural environment will be severely damaged. Other than burning coal, other efficient methods can be used. For example, solar energy. Solar energy relies on the sun’s rays to heat up solar panels to form electricity. Not only is it safe and efficient, it also doesn’t emit pollutants. The only setback to this technology is that it isn’t cheap but if we don’t do something about it, what will we do when we have run out of natural resources?