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  1. 1. Union Carbide Corporation Bhopal Gas Disaster By:-Kushal Kumar
  2. 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. 3. Overview
  4. 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. 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. 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
  7. 7. Any Queries ?
  8. 8. SOURCES Thinkreliability.com http://root-cause-analysis.info/2010/01/22/tragedy-in-bhopal/ http://www.bhopal.com/ http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/how-the-bhopal-gas-tragedy-is-still- affecting-thousands/ http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bhopal-gas-tragedy-warren-anderson-union-carbide- dow-chemicals-rajiv-gandhi-congress-arjun-singh/1/398605.html http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/managing-risks-avoiding- disasters/article6662316.ece
  9. 9. Thank You!

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