By: Gabriella Dodgson
April 2020 - Reflections on Bhopal Gas Tragedy
As the Corona virus slowly begins to dismantle everything around us, it becomes more apparent how important public health is to the entire world. Viruses and environmental disasters of anthropogenic or natural origin are closely linked in the affects that they can have on communities and economies globally. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy on December 3, 1984 is still remembered as one of the worst industrial accidents in history. The poor management of the large industrial plant in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India led to the accidental release of over 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas causing thousands of morbidities.
The effects of the disaster can still be seen today nearly 36 years later, thus showing how important regulations are in protecting the health of communities near and beyond industrial sites. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy occurred due to three main problems within the plant; poor management practices due to neglect, failure of multiple safety mechanisms and failure to alert proper authorities to protect public health. It is my hope that as we face public health crises with the current Corona virus, we learn from events such as the Bhopal Gas tragedy.
Initially discussions of the incident focused on the failure of several safety mechanisms within the plant. After further research, there were actually several reasons that the plant released the toxic methyl isocyanate. The main problems with the plant noted included the introduction of water that created the catastrophic chemical reaction and the failure of the flare to burn off escaping gases. According to the New York Times, one of the main causes of the accident was, “A workers whose training did not meet the plant’s original standards was ordered by a novice supervisor to wash out a pipe that had not been properly sealed. This procedure was prohibited by plant rules [1]". This shows how poor the management at the Union Carbide plant was, I think this is significant in understanding how severe accidents can occur and how strict standards must be put in place when working with harmful chemicals that can severely affect people’s lives. It should be noted that the neglectful management was in large part due to the company planning to sell the plant and thus not investing in proper training. The poor training of these managers shows that the Union Carbide Corporation was negligent in providing proper training and resources for those who worked at the plant.
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a devastating public health event. “Estimates of the number of people killed in the first few days by the plume from the UCC plant run as high as 10,000, with 15,000 to 20,000 premature deaths reportedly occurring the subsequent 2 decades (Broughton 2005).” The current data also likely under-represents the true extent of adverse effects on public health, some individuals left Bhopal almost immediately following the accident and were lost to follow-up with. “At the end of October 2003, according to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, compensation was only awarded to 554,895 people for injuries received and 15,310 survivors of those killed, the average amount to families of the dead was $2,200 [2].” It is clear that local governments should not allow industrial facilities to be in close proximity to urban areas. Industry and governments must work together to improve safety for the public in terms of industrial accidents. At the time of the incident, no emergency plan was put in place within the state. It is important that this event is seen as a warning to other states that there must be plans put in place to protect the public during emergencies.
Today the Bhopal Gas Tragedy is still affecting thousands of families. The entire population of old Bhopal is affected. “ The toxic wastes from the factory site have been piped into three huge solar evaporation ponds and these have slowly leaked into the soil and groundwater [3].” Union Carbide constructed these ponds in 1977 and have dumped several thousand tons of toxic waste and byproducts into these sites. The wastes were separated from the soil beneath by a thin plastic barrier sheet made of polyethylene. The ponds in principle are just giant polluting holes in the ground leaching chemicals into nearby groundwater. This means that second and third generation children are being affected by the actions of the Union Carbide Corporation. As a corporation social responsibility should be an essential pillar of conducting business. The Union Carbide Corporation failed to protect the community that they worked in, ultimately this will affect these communities for many years to come.
Sources:
[1] Diamond, Stuart. “THE BHOPAL DISASTER: HOW IT HAPPENED.” The New York Times. The New York Times, January 28, 1985. Link
[2] Broughton, Edward. “The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review.” Environmental health : a global access science source vol. 4,1 6. 10 May. 2005, DOI:10.1186/1476-069X-4-6. Link.
[3] “Disabled Children of Bhopal Gas Tragedy.” Pulitzer Center, July 29, 2019. Link.
April 2020 - Reflections on Bhopal Gas Tragedy
As the Corona virus slowly begins to dismantle everything around us, it becomes more apparent how important public health is to the entire world. Viruses and environmental disasters of anthropogenic or natural origin are closely linked in the affects that they can have on communities and economies globally. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy on December 3, 1984 is still remembered as one of the worst industrial accidents in history. The poor management of the large industrial plant in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India led to the accidental release of over 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas causing thousands of morbidities.
| Background information NBC News Report (1984) The Economist's Review (2014) |
|---|
Initially discussions of the incident focused on the failure of several safety mechanisms within the plant. After further research, there were actually several reasons that the plant released the toxic methyl isocyanate. The main problems with the plant noted included the introduction of water that created the catastrophic chemical reaction and the failure of the flare to burn off escaping gases. According to the New York Times, one of the main causes of the accident was, “A workers whose training did not meet the plant’s original standards was ordered by a novice supervisor to wash out a pipe that had not been properly sealed. This procedure was prohibited by plant rules [1]". This shows how poor the management at the Union Carbide plant was, I think this is significant in understanding how severe accidents can occur and how strict standards must be put in place when working with harmful chemicals that can severely affect people’s lives. It should be noted that the neglectful management was in large part due to the company planning to sell the plant and thus not investing in proper training. The poor training of these managers shows that the Union Carbide Corporation was negligent in providing proper training and resources for those who worked at the plant.
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a devastating public health event. “Estimates of the number of people killed in the first few days by the plume from the UCC plant run as high as 10,000, with 15,000 to 20,000 premature deaths reportedly occurring the subsequent 2 decades (Broughton 2005).” The current data also likely under-represents the true extent of adverse effects on public health, some individuals left Bhopal almost immediately following the accident and were lost to follow-up with. “At the end of October 2003, according to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, compensation was only awarded to 554,895 people for injuries received and 15,310 survivors of those killed, the average amount to families of the dead was $2,200 [2].” It is clear that local governments should not allow industrial facilities to be in close proximity to urban areas. Industry and governments must work together to improve safety for the public in terms of industrial accidents. At the time of the incident, no emergency plan was put in place within the state. It is important that this event is seen as a warning to other states that there must be plans put in place to protect the public during emergencies.
Today the Bhopal Gas Tragedy is still affecting thousands of families. The entire population of old Bhopal is affected. “ The toxic wastes from the factory site have been piped into three huge solar evaporation ponds and these have slowly leaked into the soil and groundwater [3].” Union Carbide constructed these ponds in 1977 and have dumped several thousand tons of toxic waste and byproducts into these sites. The wastes were separated from the soil beneath by a thin plastic barrier sheet made of polyethylene. The ponds in principle are just giant polluting holes in the ground leaching chemicals into nearby groundwater. This means that second and third generation children are being affected by the actions of the Union Carbide Corporation. As a corporation social responsibility should be an essential pillar of conducting business. The Union Carbide Corporation failed to protect the community that they worked in, ultimately this will affect these communities for many years to come.
Sources:
[1] Diamond, Stuart. “THE BHOPAL DISASTER: HOW IT HAPPENED.” The New York Times. The New York Times, January 28, 1985. Link
[2] Broughton, Edward. “The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review.” Environmental health : a global access science source vol. 4,1 6. 10 May. 2005, DOI:10.1186/1476-069X-4-6. Link.
[3] “Disabled Children of Bhopal Gas Tragedy.” Pulitzer Center, July 29, 2019. Link.
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