Bhopal, 25 Years After Catastrophic Chemical Leak
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The date was 3 December 1984. The people of Bhopal, India, were the victims of a chemical spill of unprecedented proportions. 40 tons of toxic gas spilled into the city, killing tens of thousands of people. Methyl isocyanate, the substance that caused the mass death, prevents oxygen from entering the blood when inhaled. In just one night, thousands were killed, literally drowning in their own bodily fluids. At least 15,000 more people were killed over the next several weeks, and many believe the total number of those killed from exposure to methyl isocyanate is well above 30,000.
Hundreds of thousands of people are still exposed to the toxin through its presence in ground water and plant life, and there is an international movement to punish those responsible. Now, on the 25th anniversary of the disaster, there are reports the old pesticide factory, owned by the chemical giant Union Carbide, continues to leak lethal toxins into the soil and groundwater. The plant is reported to have been abandoned, with insufficient efforts made to safeguard against the ongoing release of lethal chemicals.
According to the Guardian’s George Monbiot:
After drinking half a glass of water that the people of the city drink every day, the author [of Five Past Midnight in Bhopal] Dominique Lapierre reported that “my mouth, my throat, my tongue instantly got on fire, while my arms and legs suffered an immediate skin rash. This was the simple manifestation of what men, women and children have to endure daily, some 18 years after the tragedy.” Seven years on, nothing has changed. There has been no cleanup, no attempt to prevent the leakage from the site that takes place during every monsoon.
The site of the chemical accident continues to be one of the most toxic and unsafe in the world, yet comprehensive clean-up efforts have never been compelled. Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemical, paid a $470 million out-of-court settlement in 1989, in a bid to put avoid further legal responsibility for the tens of thousands of deaths and chronic pollution. The accusation has always been that the chemical plant was poorly maintained, lacked basic standard safeguards and failed to report ongoing containment problems.
There had also been accusations that top executives for Union Carbide may have had direct personal knowledge of the inadequate safety conditions and either did nothing to fix the problem or even deliberately concealed the poor maintenance, assuming it was the best way to keep costs down.
The Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL) factory was established in 1969 near Bhopal. 50.9 % was owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and 49.1 % by various Indian investors, including public sector financial institutions.[2][3] It produced the pesticide carbaryl (trademark Sevin). In 1979 a methyl isocyanate (MIC) production plant was added to the site. MIC, an intermediate in carbaryl manufacture, was used instead of less hazardous but more expensive materials. UCC understood the properties of MIC and how to handle it.[12][13][14]
During the night of December 2–3, 1984, large amounts of water entered tank 610, containing 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate. The resulting reaction increased the temperature inside the tank to reach over 200 °C (392 °F), raising the pressure to a level the tank was not designed to withstand. This forced the emergency venting of pressure from the MIC holding tank, releasing a large volume of toxic gases. The reaction sped up because of the presence of iron in corroding non-stainless steel pipelines. A mixture of poisonous gases flooded the city of Bhopal, causing great panic as people woke up with a burning sensation in their lungs. Thousands died immediately from the effects of the gas and many were trampled in the panic.
The various attempts to investigate what exactly took place on the night of 2-3 December 1984 have failed to determine the precise cause of the spillage and the ultimate chemical catastrophe. There is a grassroots movement both in India and around the world, that continues to press for answers, for clean-up and for justice for the hundreds of thousands whose lives are intimately affected by the chemical release, seepage from which continues to be a threat to this day.
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Why should the people of the United States lead the world in by pondering a 25 year old tragedy in India, a third world country half way around the world?
Nine months after the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, I was exposed to and injured by the same chemical while teaching in a U. S. school. Over two dozen children and teachers were injured as well. During my litigation I learned that schools across the U. S. reported the same injuries. For more information see Toxic Justice: the True Story of a Teacher’s Quest for Justice
The United States is sitting on a ticking chemical bomb twice a big as the Bhopal tragedy. This time it is a German owned company on United States soil, threatening the life, health, economy, land, resources, and environment of U. S. people.
Where is the public outrage? Why have our government leaders failed to protect the people in the United States from threats of chemical disasters? The answers may surprise you.
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