Bhopal Disaster

of Chemical Disasters by Sibel Tekmen

Overview
Night of December 2-3 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in exposure to hundreds of thousands of lives
3,000 died within weeks, and another 8,000 died from gas related diseases

558,125 injuries including 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries

UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) UCIL factory was built in 1969 to produce pesticide Sevin (UCCs brand name for carbaryl)

The Incident
On the night of December 2-3, water entered the tank containing 42 tons of MIC, which exceeded the limit Resulting exothermic reaction increased the temperature inside the tank over 200 degrees Celcius and raised the pressure This forced the emergency venting of pressure, which leaked the gas Reaction was sped up by the presence of iron corroding from non-stainless steel pipelines

Pipes were cleaned with water, workers were not told to add a slip-bind water isolation plate
Gases were blown into Bhopal by northwestern winds

Theories
Theories on how water entered the tank differ One is that after workers were cleaning out a clogged pipe, it was possible that water somehow leaked into the tank, but the water entry route could not be reproduced Also, UCC claimed that this was impossible and that water was introduced to the tank directly as an act of sabotage from an angry worker

Factors
Factors leading to the gas leak include: Storing MIC in large tanks and filling beyond recommended levels Poor maintenance after the plant ceased MIC production at the end of 1984 Failure of several safety systems Safety systems being switched off in order to save money Problem was made worse by the mushrooming of slums in the vicinity of the plant, non existent catastrophe plans, and shortcomings in socio-economic rehabilitation Use of a more dangerous pesticide manufacturing method Dependence on manual operation Plant location was very close to a densely populated area Lack of skilled operators

Conditions
Weak Conditions Cuts meant less stringent quality control and thus looser safety rules If there was a pipe leaking, wouldnt replace it Would do with less training Promotions were halted Workers were forced to use English manuals, even though they had a slight grasp of it So many more factors of poor maintenance and safety regulations

Aftermath
Indian government closed the plant to outsiders, including UCC. Failed to make data public Council of Scientific and Industrial Research were forbidden to publish their data of health effects until after 1994

Short Term Health Effects

Apart from MIC, the gas cloud contained: hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, oxides of nitrogen, monomethyl amine (MMA), and carbon dioxide The cloud stayed close to the ground and spread throughout the community Immediate effects : Coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation, and feeling of suffocation

People awakened fled from the plant, those who did not have a ride inhaled more
Within a few days leaves on trees yellowed and fell off

Mass funerals and cremations

Food and supplies became scarce, fish was prohibited

Long Term Health Effects

100,000 to 200,000 people had permanent injuries Eye problems, respiratory difficulties, immune and neurological disorders, cardiac failure secondary to lung injury, female reproductive difficulties long with birth defects Indian government and UCC deny any permanent injuries were due to MIC

Methylamine reacts with phosgene producing methyl isocyanate which reacts with 1-naphthol to yield carbaryl.