Bhopal Gas Tragedy

1. BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

2. INTRODUCTION
Worst Industrial Disaster of its time.
 Gas leak incident in India,
 Worlds worst Industrial
Catastrophes
 Occurred on:- 3rd December 1984
 At Union Carbide Corporation Ltd.
a pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, India
 Chemical:-Leak of Methyl
Isocyanate(40 tons)gas & other
chemicals from the plant
 People Affected:->5,00,000
 People Died:- ~40,000

3. UNION CARBIDE INDIA LIMITED
• Indian subsidiary of UCC with Indian Government controlled
Banks & the Indian public holding a 49.1% stake.
• Started in 1969 at the Northern state of India
• Phosgene, Monomethylamine, Methyl Isocyanate(MIC) &
pesticide Carbaryl also known as Sevin were manufactured
here.

5. CAUSES
According One Theory:
• Water leaked into tank from valves while workers
were cleaning the clogged pipe which is 400 feet
above it.
According to theory of UCC:
• Water was directly introduced into tank intentionally
by a worker via missing pressure gauge
• Resulted in Exothermic reaction & finally to
explosion.
Other Causes:
• Use of more dangerous pesticide method for
decreasing generation cost.
• Plant location close to a densely populated area.
Plant management deficiencies:
• Lack of skilled operator
• Reduction of safety management
• Insufficient maintenance & inadequate emergency
action plans.

7. EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH
• Respiratory Disorders
• Cancer Hazards
• Reproductive Hazard
• After Effect:
• Estimated total Deaths are about 20,000 upto 20 years after disaster
• Estimated 1,00,000 to 2,00,000 people
• Reported symptoms:-Eye problems, respiratory difficulties, immune & neurological
disorders, Cardiac Failure secondary to lung injury, birth defects among children born to
affected woman

8. COMPENSATION & LEGAL ASPECTS
• Compensation $470 Million($500 per
dead)
• 20 years of passiveness
• Case was reviewed & put up in American
Court
• Indian Government closed plant for
outsiders
• DOW refused Union Carbide’s liabilities
• In order to provide safe drinking water to
the population around the UCIL Factory,
Government of MP presented a scheme
for improvement of water supply
• Supreme Court directed the UCC & M. P.
government to take immediate steps to
disposal of toxic waste lying around &
inside factory