Bhopal Gas Tragedy

NISHANT KUMAR B-40 (10904359)

Background on the Bhopal Disaster

What happened at the Bhopal Disaster?
45 tons of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas escaped from two underground storage tanks at a Union Carbide pesticide plant

When did it occur?

December 3, 1984

Where did it occur?

Bhopal, India

How did this incident occur?

What is Methyl Isocyanate?

Clear, colorless, sharp smelling liquid Highly flammable Extremely toxic Volatile reaction with water in about 10 minutes

What is MIC used for?

Union Carbide used MIC to produce a insecticide called Carbaryl MIC reacts with 1-naphthol in a hydrolysis process to produce Carbaryl

Side Effects of Inhaling Methyl Isocyanate

Effects at 0.4ppm
Breathlessness Choking Asthma Throat Irritation Eye Irritation Skin Damage Vomiting Muscular Weakness Altered Consciousness

Effects at 21ppm
Pulmonary Edema Emphysema Hemorrhages Bronchial Pneumonia Death

Effects on Human Health

Respiratory Disorders Irritation to the lungs, causing coughing and/or shortness of breathing. Higher exposure caused build up of fluids (pulmonary edema). Caused Asthama. Cancer Hazard Caused mutation (genetic changes). It caused cancer. Reproductive Hazard Association between exposure to Methyl Isocyanate and miscarriages. It may damage the growing fetus.May also affect fertility in men and women.

Traces of many toxins were found in the Brest Milk of mothers and were inturn transmitted to the recepient babies.

Repercussions of the disaster?

Among the 500,000 people exposed to the gas:
20,000 have died till date 120,000 continue to suffer

Out of every 3 children born after the Bhopal disaster, only 1 survived.

What happened to Union Carbide?

After the Bhopal Disaster, the company went out of business. They were bought by Dow Chemical in 1999.

Remediation Process
Bhopal continues to suffer the environmental contamination produced by the release of MIC Donations and medical/volunteer assistance has been provided Union Carbide accepted responsibility and agreed to a $470 million settlement

Whats the situation now?

To this day, the Union Carbide location in Bhopal is not remediated. The plant still leaks toxic chemicals such as:
Mercury Trichloroethane Chlorinated organics Lead

The Bhopal Disaster

REFERENCES

Banerjee, Brojendra. Bhopal Gas Tragedy. 1. New Delhi, India: Paribus Publishers and Distributors, 1986. Bhargava, Ashok. "The Bhopal Incident and Union Carbide: Ramifications of an Industrial Accident." Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars 18(1986): 2-19. Fortun, Kim. "The Bhopal Disaster: Advocacy and Expertise." Science as culture 7(1998): 193-EOA. Jasanoff, Sheila. "Bhopal's Trial of Knowledge and Ignorance." Journal of the History of Science in Society 98(2007): 344-350. Lederman, Peter. "Bhopal Plus One: A Chemical Engineer's Watershed." Enronmental progress 5(1986): F2-3. Mackenzie, Debora. "Fresh evidence on Bhopal disaster." New Scientist 176(2002): 6-EOA. Varma, Roli, and Daya Varma. "The Bhopal Disaster of 1984." Bulletin of science, technology & water 25(2005): 37-45. Websites: http://www.chemicalindustryarchives.org/dirtysecrets/bhopal/index.asp http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/nightmare-in-bhopal http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu21le/uu21le0c.htm http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/12/305084.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_isocyanate