Bhopal India - worst industrial accident ever

[Mr I]

Gassed circa 25,000 people, many died, American owned company and they paid peanuts in recompense. True evil of capitalism and makes BP look like Mother Teresa, hey B?

[dna9488]

this event happened before i was born and in one of my chem classes i had to write a paper about it. crazy shit too.

[Mr I]

Post the wiki on it bro I'm on phoneset so cant

[dna9488]

Here's the link: Bhopal disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is a short paper i wrote about it:

On December 3, 1984, one of the worst industrial accidents happened in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A pesticide plant owned and operated by Union Carbide accidentally released methyl isocyanate overnight into the atmosphere. This happened by accident and resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 people. Even to this day, residents in Bhopal, India are affected by deadly tragedy that occurred in 1984.
Methyl isocyanate is an organic compound that is used in the production of pesticides. It has also been used in the production of certain rubber adhesives. During the night of the December 2nd and December 3rd water mysteriously entered a tank containing 42 ton’s of methyl isocyanate. As water entered this large tank, pressure and heat started to rise, and it reached the point where the tanks could not hold it in anymore. The result was catastrophic. The toxic gas that was formed by the reaction of water and methyl isocyanate seeped out into the city of Bhopal. The reaction also started to speed up because of a catalyst, the presence if Iron that was in the non-stainless steel pipelines. This poisonous gas caused major panic in Bhopal because people woke up with a burning sensation in their lungs. Thousands of people died from the effects and many were trampled to death due to the panic.
The long term issues because of this accident do not look good for the people of Bhopal. It is estimated that 20,000 people have died since the accident due to this gas related diseases. It is also estimated 100,000-200,000 people have permanent injuries. These injuries are reported as eye problems, respiratory difficulties, immune disorders, neurological disorders, cardiac failure, lung failure, female reproductive difficulties, and birth defects. Not only are there permanent physical injuries, but also psychological issues. Many families lost loved ones, and it was not easy for them to cope with that. Also, there have been pictures of toddlers and children that died and had to be buried or cremated by their parents.
To this day there are still contamination issues that are happening to the drinking water. The plant that was once there was completely destroyed, and all the chemicals that stayed reacted with other organic compounds and contaminated the soil, ground, and drinking water. Efforts have been made the clean up the compounds, but it is not enough, and has resulted in moving to areas around Bhopal, and contaminating their water. When it rains, the compounds are buried underground and some overflow happens. Therefore large puddles where people get their drinking water from, are contaminated. A water test in 1989 revealed that the soil and water samples collected near the factor were toxic to fish. The substances that were found according to the reports were naphthol, naphthalene, alpha napthol, mercury, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, pesticide BHC, and hexachlorethane to name a few. In 2002, another test was done to see what chemicals were present in the soil, water, and breast of women’s milk that were nursing. Many toxins were found, mercury, lead, 1,3,5 trichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, and chloroform. It will still take many years before these substances get neutralized, and it will require a lot of effort from government agencies to start the cleaning process.
In conclusion, as one can see, the effects of the Bhopal incident in 1984 are still seen today. Many people are still suffering and the horrors from that night will not be forgotten. As the toxic poison seeped through the city, people were dying. Families had to watch in horror as their children died, and bury or cremate them with sadness. To this day there are still contamination levels that are high, and will put the population at risk for several diseases. Many children were born with birth defects because the high concentration of toxins that were put in their parents system. The clean up process is underway and will not be an overnight process. Lots of time and power must be committed if the citizens of Bhopal want to have a toxic free life. Even surrounding cities and villages are at risk because of the contaminated water getting absorbed by the ground and moving.