1. Union Carbide Corporation Bhopal Gas Disaster By:-Kushal
Kumar
2. Amongst the worst Industrial Disasters of its time.
Occurrence: 3rd December 1984. Place of occurrence: Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, India. Company: Union Carbide Corporation. Chemical:
Methyl Isocyanate (40 tons) People Affected- >500,000 People
Died- ~40,000
3. Overview
4. December 3, 1984, over 40 tons (this amount is debated, but
40 tons appears to be the most popular, purely based on number of
references that mention it) of methyl isocyanate (MIC) were
released over the community of Bhopal, India, with a population of
900,000. Partially because of the transient nature of the
population, and partially due to the general obfuscation of data
from all sources involved, The number killed ranges from 2,000 to
15,000. The 2002-2003 annual report of the Madhya Pradesh Gas
Relief and Rehabilitation Department stated that a total of 15,248
people had died as a result of the gas leak Based on claims
accepted by the Indian government, there were at least 500,000
injured.
5. Ethical Issues before the Disaster The MIC tank alarms had
not worked for 4 years The flare tower and vent gas scrubber had
been out of service for 5 months To reduce energy costs, the
refrigeration system was idle Poor Maintenance January 1982:
phosgene leak, 24 workers were exposed => protective mask
February 1982: MIC leak affected 18 workers 1983 & 1984:
Regular leaks of MIC, chlorine, and monomethylamine Improper Safety
Management Workers were forced to use English manuals, even though
only a few understands the languange 70% of the plants employees
were fined for refusing to deviate from the proper safety
regulation (replacing leaked pipes) Repressive style
Management
6. Ethical Issues after the Disaster Short-term: Burning in
respiratory tract and eyes, breathlessness, choking => death
Long-term: Estimated between 100 200 thousands sustain permanent
injuries (eye problems, respiratory difficulties, immune system
disorders Health Effects 2,000 bloated animal carcasses were
disposed UCCs laboratory test in 1989: soil and water samples
collected from near the factory were toxic to fish Polluting
compounds include naphthol, naphthalene and Sevin Environmental
Damages Chemicals abandoned at the plant continue to leak and
pollute the groundwater 2002: Inquiry found toxins including
mercury, lead, and trichlorobenzene in nursing womens breast milk
Ongoing Contamination As of 2008: UCC had not released information
about the possible composition of the cloud gas Several internal
studies which exhibited severe contamination were not made public
Withholding of Information