Bhopal disaster facts for kids
Memorial by Dutch artist Ruth Kupferschmidt for those killed and disabled by the 1984 toxic gas release
|
|
| Date | 2 December 1984 – 3 December 1984 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Coordinates | 23°16′51″N 77°24′38″E / 23.28083°N 77.41056°E |
| Also known as | Bhopal gas tragedy |
| Cause | Methyl isocyanate leak from Union Carbide India Limited plant |
| Deaths | At least 3,787; over 16,000 claimed |
| Non-fatal injuries | At least 558,125 |
The Bhopal disaster is also called the Bhopal gas tragedy. It was a very serious industrial accident that happened in Bhopal, India. On the night of December 2-3, 1984, a pesticide factory owned by Union Carbide had a huge leak. About 40 tonnes of a very harmful gas called methyl isocyanate (MIC) escaped.
This gas spread quickly, affecting over 500,000 people. Many woke up with a terrible burning feeling in their lungs. Thousands of people died right away from the gas. Many more were hurt in the panic that followed. It is estimated that 8,000 people died within two weeks. Another 8,000 people have died since then from health problems caused by the gas.
The Bhopal disaster is often called the worst industrial accident ever. An organization called the International Medical Commission on Bhopal was started in 1993. Its goal was to help with the long-term health problems from the disaster. The factory owner, UCIL, was mostly owned by UCC. Indian banks and the public also owned a part of it. In 1989, UCC paid $470 million to help settle legal issues from the disaster.
Contents
What Caused the Bhopal Gas Leak?
The factory in Bhopal started making a pesticide called 'Carbaryl' in 1977. Carbaryl is mainly used to kill insects. The factory was built to make 5,000 tonnes of Carbaryl each year. But by the early 1980s, Carbaryl was not selling well.
To save money, the factory owners started cutting costs. They hired fewer people and did maintenance less often. They also used cheaper parts made of lower-quality steel. The factory was even thinking about closing down. When the disaster happened, the factory was not making anything. This was because there was too much Carbaryl already available.
How Water Got into the Gas Tank
The disaster happened because water got into a large tank holding Methyl isocyanate (MIC). This caused a strong chemical reaction. The reaction created a lot of Carbon dioxide gas and other things. The temperature inside the tank quickly went over 200 °C (392 °F).
The pressure inside the tank became too high for it to hold. The tank had special valves to release pressure in an emergency. When these valves opened, large amounts of toxic gases were released into the air. The pipes in the factory were rusty. The rust in the iron pipes made the chemical reaction happen even faster. All the gas from the tank leaked out in about two hours.
The water got into the tank because of several problems. The tank had not been maintained well. During a cleaning process, water accidentally entered the tank.
Different Ideas About the Leak
There are different ideas about how water got into the tank. At the time, workers were cleaning pipes with water. Some people believe that poor maintenance and leaky valves allowed water to get into tank 610. They also say that low-quality parts were used in the machines.
However, the company that owned the factory, UCC, said this was not possible. They believed it was an act of sabotage by a "disgruntled worker." This worker supposedly put water directly into the tank. But the company's own investigation team did not find proof of this connection.
Reports from 1985 describe what led to the disaster. Even though they agree on the main points, some details are different.
Key Problems Leading to the Disaster
Many things contributed to this huge gas leak:
- The factory used very dangerous chemicals like MIC. Safer options were available.
- These chemicals were stored in huge tanks instead of many smaller, safer steel drums.
- The pipelines might have been rusty.
- There was poor maintenance after the factory stopped making products in the early 1980s.
- Several safety systems failed. This was due to bad maintenance and rules not being followed.
- Some safety systems were turned off to save money. This included the system that cooled the MIC tank. If it had been working, it might have stopped the disaster.
- Indian engineers changed the factory's design. This was to follow government rules and save money.
The problem became much worse because the factory was close to many homes. There were no plans for a disaster, and health care was not ready. Also, helping people recover was difficult. Many believe that the main groups responsible for how bad the disaster was are the factory owners, Union Carbide Corporation, and the Government of India. The Government of Madhya Pradesh also shares some responsibility.
How Many People Were Affected?
Between 3,500 and 25,000 people died because of the toxic gas cloud. Up to 500,000 people were injured. Many of these injuries are permanent. Some of the chemicals caused birth defects in babies born later. The exact numbers of deaths and injuries are hard to know. This is because there were no exact records of how many people lived near the factory. About 100,000 people lived within 1 kilometer of the plant.
The factory owner, UCIL, was mostly owned by UCC. Indian government banks and the public also owned a part of it. In 1989, UCC paid $470 million to settle legal issues from the disaster. In 1994, UCC sold its part of UCIL to another company. This company stopped cleaning up the site in 1998. They then gave control of the site to the state government of Madhya Pradesh. Dow Chemical Company bought UCC in 2001, many years after the disaster.
Legal actions were taken in India involving UCC and its CEO at the time, Warren Anderson. In June 2010, seven former employees were found responsible for causing death by carelessness. They were given a two-year prison sentence and a fine. This was the highest punishment allowed by Indian law.
What Happened After the Disaster?
In 1998, the Supreme Court of India reached an agreement with Union Carbide. The company had to pay 470 million US dollars to the Indian government. At that time, Union Carbide made about 9.5 billion dollars in sales, which was 20 times that amount. In return, there would be no more legal action against them. However, only a small amount of this money actually reached the victims.
The land where the factory stands is still contaminated with mercury and other substances that can cause cancer. Dow Chemical Company, which now owns Union Carbide, has not cleaned up the soil. Greenpeace has estimated that cleaning up the land would only cost around 30 million US dollars.
Images for kids
-
Tank 610 in 2010. During the decontamination of the plant, the tank was removed from its foundations and set aside.
-
Deteriorating section of the MIC plant in 2008, decades after the gas leak
-
Protest in Bhopal in 2010
-
Bhopal People's Health and Documentation Clinic
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Desastre de Bhopal para niños
