Four Decades After The Worst Industrial Disaster - Are We Doing Enough?

I found myself on the edge of my seat, in the chilling account of the devastating gas leak in Bhopal. A black plume comprised of twenty-five staggering tons of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas bloomed into the early morning air in December 1984. The sleeping city woke up suffocating in a dense cloud of toxic gas, with a million people fleeing their homes leaving behind streets littered with corpses of their loved ones. Thousands died immediately and many more succumbed to the aftermath of the fatal gas intoxication in the ensuing weeks. As I watched the documentary, I felt a mix of disbelief and horror, touched by the stories of shattered lives. The survivors in Bhopal suffer from a range of debilitating illnesses and the children here continue to be born with high rates of congenital abnormalities.

I have been teaching children born with high rates of congenital deformities and IDD (Intellectual and developmental Disabilities) at the Chingari Rehabilitation center in Bhopal. The short limbs, the pigeon toes, the stammering voices, the visual deficits all seem to find their origin in the “Hiroshima” of India leaving generations to come, wrapped in its lethal folds.

The Bhopal story dates to the 1970s, when U.S based multinational Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) expanded their Asia presence by building a pesticide plant in Bhopal. The facility was operating on lackluster equipment and procedures far below prevailing safety standards. Despite the government’s awareness, there was reticence to implement industrial safety and pollution control regulations as it feared the loss of a large multinational employer.

At three minutes to midnight on December 2, 1984, a faulty valve allowed one ton of cleaning water to mix with forty tons of MIC, a dangerous chemical. Pressure and heat from the vigorous exothermic reaction in the tank continued to build like a ticking time bomb. At around 1.00 AM the following day, the safety valve gave way and toxic gas exploded, ripping through the city of Bhopal.

Union Carbide was charged with culpable homicide. The corporation and its former chief executive, refused to face trial in India, and four decades later charges have not been resolved. Despite the plant's closure, survivors continue to grapple with persistent environmental hazards stemming from the 336 tons of toxic waste on the property that was never cleaned up. The industrial disaster has scarred the city and children here continue to be born with a high rate of debilitating neurological and structural anomalies, including many of the ones I work with today.

Improper dumping and waste disposal from corporations impacts the quality of air and water supply in the United States. The EPA regulates 94 chemicals in drinking water sources; however, it does not set the standards for other that may still bear a harmful potential. The drinking water in US contains elements that are linked to industrial practices and are currently not regulated. Furthermore, industrial sites that cause increased environmental and water pollution are more likely to be located near low income and minority communities. Not only that, in an increasingly global world economic growth of the developing countries relies heavily on industrialization and foreign direct investment (FDI) Foreign direct investment has been recognized as a risk for significant potential for environmental degradation as well, as industrial practices in developing nations are poorly regulated. For pollutants that damage local environments like hazardous waste or emission of particulates outsourcing pollution improves environment in one country and degrades it in another. In contrast, Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases cause the same environmental damage no matter where in the world they are emitted. If national policies to reduce carbon emissions only lead the sources of these emissions to shift elsewhere with no effect on total global carbon pollution, outsourcing would undermine the environmental benefits of these national policies. Both US and Europe impose heavy taxes or tariffs on import of goods based on their carbon content. However, to date no rules against outsourcing pollution related to noncarbon related issues have taken effect making some countries potential pollution havens.

Forty years later the forgotten people of Bhopal are still waiting for justice. The hidden stories of the ailing children born with missing limbs and impaired speech and vision amongst other morbidities are a rallying cry for corporate accountability. While we need pay attention to CO2 emissions and climate change; we also need to work on improving environmental policies dictating local pollutants, urban smog, airborne particulates, toxic waste dumps and water pollution at a global level.

A need for strategic advancements in international policy dictating universal environmental standards that improve corporate responsibility and transparency is imperative. We the public need to have more discourse and be actively involved in creating a safer tomorrow for future generations.

References:

Böhringer, Christoph, Carolyn Fischer, Knut Einar Rosendahl, and Thomas Fox Rutherford. 2022.“Potential Impacts and Challenges of Border Carbon Adjustments.” Nature Climate Change 12:22–29.

Brunel, Claire. 2017. “Pollution Offshoring and Emission Reductions in EU and US Manufacturing.”(3):Environmental and Resource Economics 68 621–41.

Afroz, N. (2014, December 2). The children of Bhopal bear scars of gas leak. BBC. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30227852

Broughton, E. (2005, May 10). The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review - Environmental Health. Environ Health, 4(6), 6. doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-4-6

Chandra, M. (2019, November 28). Birth defects remain high in Bhopal gas survivors 35 years after disaster. Down To Earth. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/birth-defects-remain-high-in-bhopal-gas-survivors-35-years-after-disaster-67979

Costley, D. (2022, October 20). Study: Cancer-causing gas leaking from CA stoves, pipes. AP News. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from apnews.com/article/science-health-california-cancer-climate-and-environment-83c87000f5c52692431218842378a089

History of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). (n.d.). Bhopal Gas Tragedy Information. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from bhopal.com/uc-india-limited-history.html

Kumar, H. (2010, June 7). 8 Former Executives Guilty in ’84 Bhopal Chemical Leak. The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from nytimes.com/2010/06/08/world/asia/08bhopal.html

Parrot-Sheffer, C., Pletcher, K., Nirala, S., Lortha, G., & Zeidan, A. (2023, August 25). Bhopal disaster | Causes, Effects, Facts, & History. Britannica. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from britannica.com/event/Bhopal-disaster

Vyawahare, M. (2017, March 29). Over 300 tonnes of toxic waste still lying at the Bhopal gas tragedy site. Hindustan Times. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from hindustantimes.com/india-news/over-300-tonnes-of-toxic-waste-still-lying-at-the-bhopal-gas-tragedy-site/story-gEnRYdmEfNsbSKRDrZ7AuL.html

 Wilson, E. (2016, Feburary 29). Southern California methane leak was largest inU.S. history. C&EN Global Enterprise. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-09409-notw1

Costley, D. (2022, October 20). Study: Cancer-causing gas leaking from CA stoves, pipes. AP News. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from apnews.com/article/science-health-california-cancer-climate-and-environment-83c87000f5c52692431218842378a089

History of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). (n.d.). Bhopal Gas Tragedy Information. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from bhopal.com/uc-india-limited-history.html

 Kumar, H. (2010, June 7). 8 Former Executives Guilty in ’84 Bhopal Chemical Leak. The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from nytimes.com/2010/06/08/world/asia/08bhopal.html

Parrot-Sheffer, C., Pletcher, K., Nirala, S., Lortha, G., & Zeidan, A. (2023, August 25). Bhopal disaster | Causes, Effects, Facts, & History. Britannica. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from britannica.com/event/Bhopal-disaster

Vyawahare, M. (2017, March 29). Over 300 tonnes of toxic waste still lying at the Bhopal gas tragedy site. Hindustan Times. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from hindustantimes.com/india-news/over-300-tonnes-of-toxic-waste-still-lying-at-the-bhopal-gas-tragedy-site/story-gEnRYdmEfNsbSKRDrZ7AuL.html

Wilson, E. (2016, Feburary 29). Southern California methane leak was largest in U.S. history. C&EN Global Enterprise. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-09409-notw1