Victims of Bhopal – 25 years ago

I felt that I could not avoid to talk, I could not avoid to write on my blog about this sad anniversary and remember this tragedy once again, this human stupidity. On December 3, 1984, in the night, a plant of Union Carbide Corporation in Bhopal, India released 32 tons of methyl isocyanate, a highly toxic gas. The official toll of this disaster was initially of about 8,000 victims. A more realistic figure is about 18,000 deaths in the first two weeks, and estimates that another 8,000 people have died from poisoning and related diseases. The cause of the leakage of gas is linked to the reaction between methyl isocyanate and water, the reaction produced gas and increased the pressure of the tank that and finally won the resistance of the exhaust valves, releasing the toxic cloud. The theories about how the water entered the tank differ. That night some workers were cleaning the tubes with water, the authorities argue that because of poor maintenance the isolation valves of the pipes did not work and so the water entered in the tank E610. Union Carbide claims that this was not possible, and that the disaster was an act of sabotage by a “disgruntled employee” who introduced water directly into the tank. Many speculations have arisen as a result, and Union Carbide has never communicated the results of their investigations. The Bhopal disaster is frequently cited as the world’s worst industrial disaster. But let’s look back one moment. The Union Carbide India Ltd. (UCIL) was established in 1969 east of Bhopal City. 51% of it was owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and 49% by the Indian authorities. The UCC was responsible for all the techniques and designs. They produced for years the pesticide carbaryl (Sevin brand) using as an intermediate methyl isocyanate (MIC), a compound very dangerous, very unstable, which must be quickly transformed into something else in order to avoid storage problems that must be at 0 degrees Celsius, in the absence of water and impurities. In 1979 a plant for the production of MIC was added to the Bhopal site. Over the years, speculation and the non-economic viability of the plant and production related to it led plant managers to save money on everything: firing personnel, general staff, eliminating the costly security procedures, the routine maintenance. In fact, at the time of the disaster, the plant was virtually abandoned, with three underground tanks containing MIC not chilled at all, even the pilot flame was turned off. The flame has its own function to incinerate the gases that can eventually escape due to uncontrolled reactions. During the night of December 3, 1984, some Indian workers from another factory of Union Carbide, a factory of batteries that had nothing in common with Bhopal plat, were instructed to clean up some pipes. None of them had idea about what was inside the three underground tanks, and for sure what the plant was for. If it was due to partial negligence on their part, whether or not they read the procedures understanding them or not, makes no sense to discuss it. The plant was in poor condition, without proper maintenance for years, and the workers without any experience in Bhopal plant and without any supervisors knowing what they were doing exactly. Once the water entered in the tank E610, containing about 40 tons of methyl isocyanate, the reaction generated a considerable rise in temperature of the liquid taking it to over 200 ° C (400 ° F). The gas, or better the highly toxic gas mix, under pressure, forced the emergency exit and was released by the pressure valve. He came out right under the nose of a pilot flame turned off. People woke up in a cloud of noxious gas that burned their lungs, about 8,000 people died immediately, many others were trampled by others who were fleeing. There is talk of 18,000 dead in the first two weeks, but in a country without registry, counts are certainly not easy to do. America has not paid, Union Carbide has not paid, who bought the plant later has not paid, the Indian government was not legally able to compete with the multinational. The officers, even those most directly involved have not made one day in prison. The profit has justified everything, and the poor have paid, as always. Because of the litigation, never solved, even the site was not cleaned, but the memories and the memory of this tragedy will remain forever, even on this website.

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