The bhopal disaster of 1984 university of new mexico. Consider the role of safety layers in the bhopal disaster. The plant cannot be run safely with six people, said kamal k. Bhopal is the capital city of the state of madhya pradesh. Five past midnight in bhopal download ebook pdf, epub. In the 11th century, raja bhoj of dhar founded a city on the shores of a beautiful lake in central india. Before the bhopal incident, a catastrophic release of a toxic gas from a chemical plant that could kill thousands of people was not thought to be possible.
In the ancient city of bhopal, a cloud of toxic gas escaped from an american pesticide plant, killing and injuring thousands of people. The 1984 explosion of the union carbide chemical plant in bhopal, india was undisputedly one of the worlds worst industrial disasters. On 23 december 1984, the worlds worst industrial disaster took place in bhopal, india. The worlds worst industrial disaster, 30 years later. Late heeresh chandra, the man who had to deal with it firsthand, presented the forensic aspects at. Extracts from uccs reactive and hazardous chemicals manual. The bhopal gas disaster of 1984 introduction on the night of december 2, 1984, there was a horrific accident at the union carbide pesticide chemical factory in bhopal, india. In 1984, the population of bhopal was about 700,000. Pdf download advocacy after bhopal free unquote books. Ward morehouse, authors of the book the bhopal tragedy, are more. The company involved in what became the worst industrial accident in history immediately tried to dissociate itself from legal. In 1969, union carbide set up the pesticide plant at bhopal ucil. Peterson revised march 20, 2009 during the night of 23 december 1984, a leak of some 40 tons of methyl isocyanate mic gas mixed with unknown other gasses from a chemical plant owned and operated by. Indian officials estimate that the gas leak left nearly 3000 people dead and 50,000 people permanently disabled and that 15,000 people died subsequently from exposure to the.
Later, as the deadly cloud slowly drifted in the cool night air through streets in. On december 3 1984, more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in bhopal, india, immediately killing at least. The ucil facility in bhopal, india was a manufacturing facility for carbamate pesticides that had a design similar to the plant in institute, west virginia, and it had been manufacturing mic on site since 1980. Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate mic gas. Dr loya, union carbides official doctor in bhopal, commenting on methyl isocyanate, after the tragedy. The deadly gas spread and killed at least 4,000 people, while causing significant morbidity and premature. The bhopal disaster, also referred to as the bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 23 december 1984 at the union carbide india limited ucil pesticide plant in bhopal. The villagers were sound asleep as methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a nearby pesticide plant owned by union carbide india limited. A leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of the gas to hundreds of thousands of people. Mental health of survivors of 1984 bhopal disaster. He stressed the need for expertise in specific detoxication measures to handle such situations. The union carbide factory at bhopal was part of indias response to the severe food shortages in 1960s. The winter of 1984 began like any other for the residents of bhopal, capital of the state of madhya.
Bhopal plant disaster situation summary by mj peterson revised march 20, 2009 during the night of 23 december 1984, a leak of some 40 tons of methyl isocyanate mic gas mixed with unknown other gasses from a chemical plant owned and operated by. Union carbide india limited ucil was a chemical company established in 1934, eventually expanding to employ 9,000 people working at 14 plants in five divisions. Hundreds of new victims of the bhopal industrial disaster. Union carbide in bhopal bhopal, the state capital of madya pradesh, is geographically at the centre of india. In bhopal, 4,000 people died within days of the toxic gas leak from a pesticide plant in the central indian city, and thousands more in the following years. The bhopal disaster of 1984 the university of new mexico. Today, that city, bhopal, is a bustling metropolis of 2 million people. On december 3 1984, more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in bhopal, india, immediately killing at least 3,800 people and causing significant morbidity and. The bhopal disaster, considered one of the worlds worst industrial catastrophes, occurred on the night of december 23 at the union carbide india limited pesticide plant in bhopal, madhya pradesh, india. A reaction occurred in the tank that resulted in the release of a toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate from a union carbide pesticide plant in bhopal, india, in 1984. The bhopal disaster, also referred to as the bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 23 december 1984 at the union carbide india limited ucil pesticide plant in bhopal, madhya pradesh, india.
Introduction in the early morning hours of december 3, 1984, a poisonous grey cloud forty tons of toxic gases from union carbide india limited ucilsl pesticide plant at bhopal spread throughout the city. In a departure from earlier studies that have focused primarily on the causes of the catastrophe, sheila jasanoff and the contributors to this volume critically examine the consequences of the accident. When the noxious clouds cleared, the worst industrial disaster in history had. Mic spill from the union carbide pesticide plant at bhopal on december 3, 1984 on the. On december 3 1984, more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in bhopal, india, immediately killing at least 3,800 people and causing significant morbidity and premature death for many thousands more. Months before the december 1984 disaster, the us parent company was warned of the possibility of a reaction.
In december 1984, a union carbide plant in bhopal, india, sprung a leak, releasing thousands of gallons of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere. As an intermediate step to the production of these pesticides, the facility stored a large quantity of mic on site, although it was not. The book is based on malladis recollections of bhopal during the incident. In addition, the relevant literature in this, and related, areas has been examined and is summarized. The bhopal disaster has exposed the safety system in india. As early as 1982, ucc was aware that there were major safety concerns regarding the bhopal plant.
On the night of december 2, 1984, forty tons of deadly methyl isocyanate leaked out of a union carbide pesticide factory in bhopal, india, killing thousands and injuring many more. Release of toxic gases in a pesticide plant night from 2 to 3. Consequences of the effect of the accident the bhopal disaster can be said to be one of the worlds worst catastrophe that took place at the union carbide pesticide plant in the city of bhopal, india. Nearly 30 of the 42 metric tons of mic stored in tank.
The bhopal disaster of 1984 india environment portal. The bhopal disaster occurred in 1984, when the union carbide corporation ucc pesticide plant leaked 40 tons of methyl isocyanate mic into the city of bhopal, exposing 500,000 people to the toxic gas. In december 1984, a union carbide pesticide plant in bhopal, india, leaked over forty tons of the poisonous gas methyl isocyanate into the community surrounding the plant. Bhopal city is located in the central part of india. The equipment was considered subpar, yet it is believed that the accidents was actually caused by an act of sabotage by a disgruntled indian employee. On that morning, 41 metric tons of a toxic gas, mainly consisting of methyl isocyanate, entered into the atmosphere from a union carbide india limited ucil pesticide plant. I consider it to be the definitive book on the accident. Detailed accounts of bhopal accident and its consequ ences have been published elsewhere bowonder 1985. The chemical facility, administered through the subsidiary union carbide. On 3rd december 1984, the plant released mic and other toxic gases exposing more than 500,000 people.
About a third of its one million inhabitants live in tightly packed, shanty kucha. Penguin books india pvt ltd, 1987, who take different views but are careful to acknowledge areas of. Pareek, a chemical engineer who began working at the bhopal plant in 1971 and was senior project engineer during the building of. Thirty years ago, on the night of december 2, 1984, an accident at the union carbide pesticide plant in bhopal, india, released at least 30 tons of a highly toxic gas resulting in a death toll. Bhopal disaster, chemical leak in 1984 in the city of bhopal, madhya pradesh state, india, during which about 45 tons of methyl isocyanate escaped from an insecticide plant. The bhopal disaster 1984 working conditions and the role of the trade unions pdf. By the time the leak was sealed, over 2,000 people had died. Tank e610 is seen partially obstructed by overgrowth today. Description of the book five past midnight in bhopal. A terrifying cloud of toxic gas escaped from an american pesticide plant in the heart of the indian city of bhopal, killing 16,00030,000 and injuring half a million people.
In the bhopal case, the safety aspect was ignored even at the time of granting of licence for location of the plant at bhopal in 1969. In 1969 in central india, a few miles from bhopal, a city of about 900,000 people, a new pesticide plant was built. The factory produced a chemical called methyl isocyanate mic also know by. Peterson revised march 20, 2009 during the night of 23 december 1984, a leak of some 40 tons of methyl isocyanate mic gas mixed with unknown other gasses from a chemical plant owned and operated by union carbide india limited, a. Ucc sends 8 us engineers and technicians to bhopal plant to assist with startup and early operation of mic unit.
The fifty survivors, several in their eighties, had walked all the way from bhopal, sleeping on the side of the road and covering over 500. Terming the bhopal gas tragedy of december 3, 1984, as one of the worlds greatest chemical disasters, sriramachari said, the past has taught us to have timely and meticulous multidisciplinary scientific research in disaster medicine. On the night of december 3, 1984, a cyanide cloud drifted over the streets of bhopal, india, set loose by a leak in a nearby chemical plant. The 1984 lethal gas leak at the union carbide pesticide plant in bhopal, india, may be the most extensively studied industrial disaster in history. When the deadly fog lifted untold numbers of the citys residentsperhaps as many as 30,000, by some accountslay dead, while half a. Bhopal plant union carbide india limiteds ucil bhopal plant was a vast chemical complex containing miles of complicated piping and hundreds of specialized reactors, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and other equipment and employed more than 1,000 workers.
It was a result of poor hazard management, poor safety management practice, poor use of early warning system, poor perception of the risk involved and so on. People started dying with in hours and more than 2000 lives were lost in the first few days. Tens of thousands of people were killed, some half a million others suffered maladies, and the site remained contaminated decades after the leak. Bhopal gas tragedy a social, economic, legal and environmental analysis introduction the industrial catastrophe that occurred on the midnight of december 2, 1984 at union carbide india limited pesticide plant in bhopal, india was the worst industrial accident in the world. On 3 december 1984, the sleeping citizens of bhopal were enveloped by a lethal fog of poisonous gas spewing from a pesticide plant owned by. Some have argued that the resulting litigation provided an innovative model for dealing with the global distribution of technological risk. The factory produced a chemical called methyl isocyanate mic also know by union carbide as liquid dynamite. B y all accounts the bhopal gas leak on the night of 23 december 1984, is the worst chemical disaster in history.