Ohio derailment latest man-made disaster in U.S. history: media

NEW YORK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The full scale of the destruction of the chemical train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, remains unknown, but the incident is the latest in a long line of man-made disasters and industrial accidents across the United States, reported U.S. News and World Report on Tuesday.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States averages 150 catastrophic chemical-related incidents each year.

"Throughout history, the country's most devastating man-made disasters have run the gamut -- from oil spills in Alaska to train derailments in Texas to devastating fires in New York," said the report.

The true costs of these disasters can be hard to measure, but one marker of a disaster's impact is the changes it brings about in its wake, from environmental regulations to safety improvements, said the report.

The report listed 10 of the worst man-made disasters in recent U.S. history, including Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Louisiana, 2010; Martin County Coal Slurry Spill, Kentucky, 2000; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Alaska, 1989; and Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, 1979.

These incidents are included both because of their impact in terms of dollars and human lives, as well as influence on safety and disaster response methods used to this day, the report said.