This Day was established in Russia. The reason for this was the tragic event that took place in 1974 in the factory of chemical weapons in Novocheboksarsk. On April 28, the department of finished product was covered with fire. Many aerial bombs with toxic V-gas were destroyed, and several tons of poisonous substances were emitted into the environment. The information about the event and its consequences was hidden from the public, it became available only in the 1990s at the initiative of environmental organizations. For the first time the Day was remarked in 1997 at the initiative of the Russian NGO – the Union “For chemical safety”. In sequent years, this Day was celebrated as the Day of Chemical Safety. The observance of the Day is aimed primarily at critical analysis of human interaction with chemical substances, both dangerous and useful.
