Bophal anniversary: an ecological disaster with tens of thousands of victims
On the anniversary of the tragic event we want to offer you this article which talks about the Bophal disaster, a huge tragedy caused by the superficiality in industrial safety measures that must not be forgotten.
On the night of 2-3 December 1984, methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from the pesticide factory of Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) transformed the city of Bhopal into a colossal gas chamber. It was India's first major industrial disaster. At least 30 tons of methyl isocyanate gas killed more than 15,000 people and affected more than 600,000 workers. The Bhopal gas tragedy is known as the world's worst industrial disaster.
Alarm bell before the tragedy
In 1969, the UCIL factory had been built to produce Sevin (a pesticide) using methyl isocyanate as an intermediate. In 1976, the Bhopal trade unions denounced the pollution of the plant. A few years later, a worker accidentally inhaled a large amount of toxic phosgene gas, which led to his death a couple of hours later. Observing the events, a journalist started investigating the plant and also published his findings in the local Bhopal newspaper, stating, "Wake up people of Bhopal, you are on the brink of a volcano." Two years before tragedy struck Bhopal, some 45 phosgene-exposed workers were hospitalized. Between 1983 and 1984 there were losses of phosgene, carbon tetrachloride, methyl isocyanate and monomethylamine.
How the methyl isocyanate leak happened
The Union Carbide India plant in Bhopal housed three 68,000 liter liquid MIC storage tanks: E610, E611 and E619. Months before the tragedy, MIC production was underway and the tanks were being filled. No tank could be filled beyond 50% of its capacity, and the tank was pressurized with inert nitrogen. Pressurization allowed liquid MIC to be pumped from each tank. However, one of the tanks (E610) lost its ability to hold the pressure of the nitrogen gas and therefore the liquid MIC could not be pumped. According to the rules, each tank could not be filled with more than 30 tons of liquid MIC. But this tank held 42 tons. This failure forced UCIL to stop producing methyl isocyanate in Bhopal and the plant was partially shut down for maintenance. On December 1, an attempt was made to put the defective tank back into operation, but the attempt failed. By then, most of the plant's methyl isocyanate-related safety systems were malfunctioning. On the eve of December 2, water had reportedly entered the malfunctioning tank, causing an unexpected chemical reaction. The pressure in the tank increased fivefold during the night. At midnight, workers in the MIC area began to feel the effects of the MIC gas. The decision to deal with the loss had to be made a couple of minutes later. However, by then the chemical reaction in the tank had reached a critical state. About 30 tons of MIC leaked from the tank into the atmosphere within an hour. Most of the residents of Bhopal became aware of the gas leak through exposure to the gas itself.
Impact of methyl isocyanate leak
The doctors were unaware of the proper treatment methods for the accident. The methyl isocyanate gas leak killed more than 15,000 people and affected more than 600,000 residents. The stillbirth rate and neonatal mortality rate increased by 300% and 200%, respectively. The gas leak also impacted trees and animals. Within a couple of days, the trees in the nearby area became barren. Swollen animal carcasses had to be disposed of. People were running through the streets, vomiting and dying. The city was left without cremation grounds.
The government's response to the Bhopal tragedy
Until then, the Indian government had never faced such a disaster. Legal proceedings between India, UCC and the US began soon after the catastrophe. In March 1985 the government passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Act, which allowed it to act as the legal representative of the victims. The UCC initially offered India a $5 million relief fund, but the government rejected the offer and asked for $3.3 billion. Finally, an out-of-court settlement was reached in February 1989: Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million in damages. The Indian Supreme Court also set guidelines for money: family members of the dead were to receive 100,000-300,000 rupees. Furthermore, the fully or partially disabled were to receive 50,000-500,000 rupees and those with temporary injuries 25,000-100,000 rupees. The Supreme Court has asked UCIL to "voluntarily" finance a hospital in Bhopal to treat the victims of the tragedy. In June 2010, seven former UCIL employees, all of Indian nationality, were convicted of causing death by negligence and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. However, they were later released on bail.
Bhopal more than three decades after the tragedy
While legal battles were ongoing in India and the United States, Dow Chemical Company successfully took over UCC in 2001, which became a wholly owned subsidiary. Dow later argued that UCC bore no responsibility for the tragedy, as it was legally a new company under new ownership.
Ingrid Eckerman in her book – The Bhopal Saga recalls what a victim told him: “Death would have been a great relief. It's worse to be a survivor." Thousands of survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy continue to face lack of health facilities. After the factory closed, whatever was left inside was sealed in place. Gas victim assistance organizations have been calling for its removal for years. Many petitions have been filed in the High Court and the Court of Justice for the removal of the poisonous remains of the plant.
What is Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)?
Methyl isocyanate is a colorless liquid used for the production of pesticides. The MIC is safe when stored properly. The chemical is highly reactive to heat. When exposed to water, the MIC compounds react with each other causing a thermal reaction.
Methyl isocyanate is no longer in production, although it is still used in pesticides. The Bayer CropScience facility in Institute, West Virginia is currently the only remaining MIC storage location worldwide.
Impact of the chemical reaction of methyl isocyanate on health
Immediate health effects include ulcers, photophobia, respiratory problems, anorexia, persistent abdominal pain, genetic problems, neurosis, audio and visual memory impairment, impaired reasoning ability, and much more.
Long-term health effects include chronic conjunctivitis, decreased lung function, increased pregnancy loss, increased infant mortality, increased chromosomal abnormalities, decreased associated learning, and more.
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The article Bophal anniversary: an ecological disaster with tens of thousands of victims comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/anniversario-di-bophal-un-disastro-ecologico-con-decine-di-migliaia-di-vittime/ on Sat, 03 Dec 2022 22:30:16 +0000.