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The Bhopal disaster in India on December 3, 1984, caused by a gas leak from a Union Carbide chemical plant, resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and long-term health issues for many more. The incident raised global awareness about factory safety in developing countries and highlighted the need for better safety measures. Union Carbide was accused of cost-cutting and disrespect for safety, and eventually paid settlements to the citizens of Bhopal. The site remains heavily contaminated, with Dow Chemical, which acquired Union Carbide, declining responsibility for ongoing issues.
The Bhopal disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on December 3, 1984 in Bhopal, India. Many people believe that the Bhopal disaster was the worst industrial accident in history, pointing to the high death toll at the time of the accident, along with the lingering health and environmental effects. The events in Bhopal also raised global awareness about factory culture in developing countries, with many activists suggesting that the incident happened due to lax attitudes on safety, maintenance and human life.
Late at night on December 3, workers at a Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal were flushing pipes with clean water. Somehow, the water got into a tank full of methyl isocyanate gas (MIC), a gas used in pesticide production. The water triggered a chemical reaction that caused pressure to build inside the tank, forcing workers to vent the tank before it exploded, and a large amount of lethal gas was released in Bhopal. Almost immediately, warning sirens rang, but they were quickly silenced, so most Bhopal citizens were unaware of the crisis.
The volume of gas released in the Bhopal disaster is a controversial topic, with estimates ranging from 20 to 40 tonnes. Gases other than the MIC were also found to be released, including phosgene and hydrogen cyanide. Many workers at the plant were killed very quickly as the gas seeped into Bhopal, waking citizens with a choking sensation “as if someone had stuffed chillies into our bodies,” as one survivor described it. During the escape attempt, many citizens inadvertently moved in the same direction as the gas cloud, worsening their symptoms, and many people were trampled and panicked.
An estimated two to eight thousand people were killed within days of the Bhopal disaster. Most of them suffocated from inhaling the gas, exhibiting painful respiratory symptoms, eye pain, and brain swelling before they died. In the wake of the disaster, it was difficult to keep track of how many people were affected, due to the sheer volume of fatalities, and numerous animal and human bodies were hastily disposed of before they could pose a health threat, making it even more difficult get an accurate body count.
An estimated eight thousand people died in the years following the Bhopal disaster from the effects of prolonged exposure to the gas and up to 100,000 more could be affected by a variety of conditions including chronic respiratory diseases, birth defects, neurological problems , immune system depression and cardiac dysfunction. In 1993, the Bhopal International Medical Commission was established to help address some of these issues and treatment continues at the site.
The investigation into the Bhopal disaster suggested that Union Carbide lacked adequate safety measures in place to prevent such a disaster and that the condition of the factory equipment made such an accident almost inevitable. The company has been accused of cost-cutting and disrespect for the safety of its workers and the surrounding community, and has fought back, claiming the disaster was the result of sabotage. The investigation into the sabotage complaint ultimately concluded that if the company had adequate safety mechanisms in place, it would have been impossible to have a disaster of this magnitude due to the sabotage.
Union Carbide eventually paid a large sum in settlements to the citizens of Bhopal, and the Indian government has also attempted to charge the company’s CEO with manslaughter, though he is yet to appear in an Indian court. The disaster site continues to be heavily contaminated, with poisoned soil and groundwater posing a threat to the health of citizens in the area. Dow Chemical, which acquired Union Carbide in 2001, declines any responsibility for the ongoing problems at the Bhopal site.
