The 1984 Bhopal Disaster in India — A Message for Industrialists
How thousands of people died and even more were affected by a destructive industrial gas leak.
The Bhopal Disaster is one of the largest extinctions in history caused by human error.?
The Bhopal disaster was an intense toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leak that permeated the neighborhood of Bhopal inside the city of Mumbai, India.
The leak emerged from a pesticide plant owned by chemical company by the name of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). Over 50% of that company was a subsidiary of a U.S. Fortune 500 industrial corporation, the UCC (Union Carbide Corporation).
The leak was so extensive, that more than 5 million people were exposed to it. Within 45–60 minutes of chemical leakage, over 40 metric tons of MIC had leaked. Two days following the incident, the toxicity within the air had already killed over 5,000 people.
It has been almost 33 years since the Bhopal Disaster but it is a reminder of how dangerous toxic chemicals can be to the environment. It is also important to remember that accidents like this can happen, the more we continue to invest in toxic chemical plants for economic profits.
References:
- Varma, Roli, and Daya R. Varma. “The Bhopal disaster of 1984.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 25.1 (2005): 37–45.
- Broughton, Edward. “The Bhopal Disaster and Its Aftermath: A Review.” Environmental Health 4 (2005): 6. PMC. Web. 8 Nov. 2017.
- Taylor, Alan. “Bhopal: The World’s Worst Industrial Disaster, 30 Years Later.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 2 Dec. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/12/bhopal-the-worlds-worst-industrial-disaster-30-years-later/100864/.
- Porecha, Maitri. “Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Will the Suffering Ever End? | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis.” Dna, 2 Dec. 2014, www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-bhopal-gas-tragedy-will-the-suffering-ever-end-2040370.
