[Mass-casualties due to chemicals]

Mass casualties due to chemicals and chemical weapons are typical man-made disasters. As they occur without connection to time, place, and occasion, an adequate crisis control system is needed. Although the possibility that chemical weapons will be used in terrorism, as in Matsumoto and the Tokyo sarin attack, has recently increased, mass casualities due to the combustion and leakage of toxic chemicals in the chemical industry and traffic accidents during the transport of chemicals are more likely since about 5000 new chemical substances are synthesized every year.