Union Carbide facts for kids
 |
|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Chemicals |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Headquarters | Seadrift, Texas, U.S. |
|
Key people
|
Richard Wells (CEO & president) |
| Products |
|
| Revenue |  US$4.377 billion (2019) |
|
Operating income
|
US$691 million (2019) |
| US$523 million (2019) |
|
| Total assets | US$5.278 billion (2019) |
| Total equity | US$0.925 billion (2019) |
| Parent | Dow Chemical Company |
Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is an American company that makes chemicals. Since 2001, it has been a part of the Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide creates chemicals and plastics that customers then change into other products. These products are used in many everyday items. They are found in paints, packaging, wires, household cleaners, personal care items, medicines, cars, and even farming products.
The company started in 1917 as the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation. It was formed when several companies joined together. Its scientists found a cheap way to make ethylene from natural gas liquids. This discovery helped create the modern petrochemical industry, which makes chemicals from oil and gas. Over time, Union Carbide sold off some of its well-known brands. These included Eveready and Energizer batteries, Glad bags, and Prestone antifreeze. Later, Dow Chemical Company bought Union Carbide in 2001.
Contents
Company History
The Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation was officially created on November 1, 1917. It was a merger of several companies. These included Union Carbide Company, National Carbon Company, Linde Air Products Company, and Prest-O-Lite. In 1920, the company started a chemicals division. This division made ethylene glycol, which is used in car antifreeze.
Union Carbide kept buying other chemical companies. One important purchase was the Bakelite Corporation in 1939. Bakelite made some of the first plastics. In 1957, the company changed its name to "Union Carbide Corporation." From 1947 to 1984, it also managed the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
During the Cold war era, Union Carbide worked on rocket propulsion for space and missile uses. They focused on chemicals, plastics, and rocket fuels. This research happened at their Technical Center in West Virginia.
Union Carbide also had a battery business called Ucar batteries. This included the Eveready and Energizer brands. In 1986, the battery business was sold to Ralston Purina. After a major accident in Bhopal, India, Union Carbide faced many attempts by other companies to buy it. To pay off its debts, Union Carbide sold many of its famous brands. In 1999, Dow Chemical announced it would buy Union Carbide. The deal was completed in 2001.
Hawks Nest Tunnel Accident
The Hawks Nest Tunnel accident happened between 1927 and 1932. Union Carbide led this tunnel project in West Virginia. Workers found a mineral called silica and were asked to mine it. This silica was used to process steel.
However, the workers were not given masks or breathing gear. This was despite safety practices known at the time. Because they breathed in silica dust, many workers got silicosis. This is a serious lung disease. A marker at the site says 109 people died. A government hearing reported 476 deaths. Some experts believe the number of deaths was much higher, possibly 764. This makes it one of America's deadliest industrial accidents.
Asbestos Mining Operations
In the early 1960s, Union Carbide Corporation started mining asbestos fibers. These fibers were found near King City, California. They were sold under the brand name "Calidria." This name combined "Cal" (for California) and "Idria."
These fibers were used in many products. They were often added to joint compound, which is used for drywall. Union Carbide sold the mine to its employees in the 1980s. The mine then operated for only a few more years.
1984 Bhopal Accident
Union Carbide India Limited was a company partly owned by Union Carbide (50.9%). It ran a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. This plant opened in 1969. It made pesticides and herbicides from a chemical called methyl isocyanate (MIC).
At first, the plant brought in MIC from other places. But in 1979, the company decided to make MIC themselves. They built a MIC unit inside the Bhopal plant. This plant was located next to a very crowded neighborhood and a busy train station. Placing it there went against the 1975 Bhopal Development Plan. This plan said that dangerous industries, like the MIC plant, should be in a different, less populated part of the city. Even though the initial permit was rejected, the company got approval from higher authorities. In 1982, Union Carbide's own auditors warned about a possible "runaway reaction" at the plant.
Around midnight on December 3, 1984, gas accidentally leaked from the plant. More than 500,000 people were exposed to MIC and other chemicals. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed that 16,000 deaths were linked to the gas leak. An estimated 40,000 people were left with permanent disabilities or serious illnesses. This event is known as the world's worst industrial accident.
After the accident, groups representing the victims in Bhopal asked Union Carbide for $10 billion in damages. The Indian government also asked the company for $3.3 billion. Union Carbide offered between $300 and $350 million. In 1989, the company paid $470 million to the Indian government as a final agreement.
After this agreement, Union Carbide sold all its shares in Union Carbide India Limited. Union Carbide still says the accident was caused by a plant worker doing something wrong. The plant site has not been cleaned up, and dangerous chemicals can still be found there.
Warren Anderson, who was the CEO at the time, did not return to India to face charges. The U.S. did not send him back. Anderson died in Florida in 2014. In 2010, seven employees of the plant were found responsible for negligence and were fined.
1985 West Virginia Gas Leak
The year after the Bhopal accident, another gas leak happened at a Union Carbide plant. This plant was in Institute, West Virginia. A faulty valve caused a large cloud of gas. Six employees were hurt, and almost 200 nearby residents sought medical help. They had breathing and skin irritation.
Union Carbide said the leak was from a valve failure. The leak involved aldicarb oxime, a chemical used in a farm pesticide. A company spokesperson stated that the leak was not a threat to the community.
Union Carbide in Australia
Union Carbide started working in Australia in 1957. It bought a factory from an Australian company called Timbrol Ltd. This factory was in Rhodes, a suburb of Sydney. The factory made chemicals like phenol and insecticides. It also made herbicides used to kill weeds. Union Carbide continued making these products until the mid-1980s.
Union Carbide also filled in land on nearby properties. They used waste materials like lime and ash in the marshes of Homebush Bay. This practice stopped in 1970. Union Carbide stopped its operations in Australia in 1985.
In 1987, the government ordered Union Carbide to clean up the site. This cleanup cost $30 million and took place between 1988 and 1993. It involved digging up and sealing off the contaminated soil. More cleanup work was approved in 2004. This included parts of Homebush Bay. A lot of soil and sediment were removed and cleaned. This later cleanup cost over $135 million.
Former New York Headquarters Building
The old Union Carbide headquarters building was at 270 Park Avenue in New York City. It was a 52-story building designed in a modern style and finished in 1961. In 1982, the company moved its main office to Danbury, Connecticut.
The building at 270 Park Avenue later became the headquarters for JPMorgan Chase. It was later torn down to be replaced by a new, taller building. At about 700 feet tall, the Union Carbide Building was the tallest building in the world ever torn down on purpose. It was also the third-tallest building ever destroyed, after the World Trade Center Twin Towers.
See also
In Spanish: Union Carbide para niños
- BASF
- National Carbon Company
- Carbide & Carbon Building
- Union Carbide Corporate Center
