The article outlines principal conclusions of the conference (organized by the foundation "Ecology and Health") devoted to chemical disasters and possible hazards to people. Many examples of chemical disasters in various countries are discussed. The extent of a disaster depends on many factors such as the time of the day, weather, wind direction, condition of repair of the warning systems, and the awareness of the population, and the situation of disaster site itself. To prevent such disasters, the staff of chemical plants should be educated and specialised emergency services should be kept alert.