Bhopal Disaster Revisited [updated]

On December 3, 1984, a chemical plant run by Union Carbide and located in Bhopal, India released about 40 tons of a toxic gas which was an intermediate chemical used in creating pesticides. (That is, the plant was in the business of creating chemicals deadly to life.) Safety at the plant had not been a concern of management; numerous safety systems were offline or non-functional. The gas cloud drifted over the city and killed thousands of people, and inflicted permanent injury to hundreds of thousands more. It was the worst industrial accident to date. Today, the site remains a contaminated wasteland, unusable and never cleaned up. The survivors have been minimally compensated, but as time passes, enough of them have died that compensation may now be in the works. Update: 12/03 15:51 GMT by M : Whoops, just kidding, the Reuters story linked there is wrong; the BBC was apparently hoaxed into putting a Dow spokesman on TV who wasn't actually a Dow spokesman. Dow has no plans to clean up the facility and no plans to compensate the survivors. Hope this clears things up.

Comments

From memory

[rhadamanthus]

If I remember correctly, the facility was down due to a labor strike prior to the release. Water snuck into a methyl isocyanate (MIC) tank and caused the reaction which led to the gas leak. I think the labor strike had a lot to do with the safety systems being down.

Re:From memory

[nysus]

I seem to remember something called the "Internet" and I did something called a "Google" search and it turned up a "web page" that returned a bunch of "urls". This was one of them: http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu21le/uu21l e0c.htm

Read on, it's pretty cool what you can do nowadays with a computer:

Legal battles and the "sabotage" defence

For Union Carbide, the legal battle with the Government of India was a major long-term effect of the Bhopal disaster. The company's legal defence was built around the claim that it was not liable for damages from the accident, because they were the result of "sabotage" by a disgruntled worker. UCC claimed it knew the saboteur's identity, and the firm of Arthur D. Little, Inc. was hired to verify and publicize this viewpoint (Kalelkar 1988). The company also circulated videos about the sabotage claim to the media and other interested observers.

How was sabotage supposed to have occurred? It was alleged that water could not have entered the MIC tanks during pipe-washing operations: pipes leading to the tanks were simply too long; passages were too complex and blocked with closed valves. These factors would have presented an insuperable physical barrier to water. The only way that so much water could get into the MIC storage tanks was through deliberate action by an individual. According to UCC, a disgruntled worker wanted to spoil the MIC in tank 610. The main evidence was a hose connected to a water main beside an open inlet pipe leading to the tank.

The UCC sabotage theory did not explain how several other simultaneous failures contributed to the accident. In addition to water entry, there were failures in four safety devices - the vent gas scrubber, the flare tower, the refrigeration system, and the water spray. There were failures in design, operating procedures, and staffing, as described earlier. The positive-pressure systems in the MIC tanks had failed, four to eight weeks before the accident.

Union Carbide's information about the sabotage came from interviews with unnamed witnesses conducted several years after the accident, in unreliable conditions. The interviews were held neither under oath nor in the presence of legal authorities or any independent (not paid by Union Carbide) observers. UCC did not reveal the name of the saboteur so that legal action could be initiated.

The sabotage claim did not explain why a disgruntled worker would want to destroy a batch of MIC. Far greater financial damage could have been inflicted on the company by smashing expensive equipment or pouring water on finished goods. Without convincing evidence, the sabotage claim remains just that - a claim.

The deliberate introduction of water into MIC storage tanks might have taken place without any intention to commit sabotage. A small quantity of water from pipe washing could have initiated the accident. Operators on duty might have been alarmed by the sight of a rumbling hot tank and could have introduced water to cool it. Such a scenario was hinted at by some witnesses and it accommodates most of the claims raised in the sabotage defence.

Re:gone bust

[Anonymous Coward]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Corporate Personhood (tm). Companies can do what the hell they want, and no person is ever ultimately responsible.

Sabatoge

[zburns]

This story comes up every year. Sure, this was a tragedy, but several independent studies and investigations have been done to show that this was sabatoge. The introduction of water into the storage tank could have only been done by somebody with intimate knowledge of the procedures.

Re:Food for thought

[XxtraLarGe]

Something I heard about this (sorry, I don't have a source) was that there could have been electronic/mechanical safegards in place, but because of Indian labor laws they weren't allowed. They didn't want computers/machines doing the jobs that humans could do.

Re:gone bust - instant karma gonna get you

[Anonymous Coward]

actually the question of who is really responsible in instances of corporate misbehaior is very interesting. in europe corporate directors are ultimately responsible for the actions of the companies they lead.

even in the event that such legislation was enacted in the us, you can be sure that it would be _very_ diffficult to convince a judge of malfeasance.

but the responsibility part is the one i like. in the bible (no i'm not religious, particularly) it mentions that the sins of the father shall be paid by the son (you get my drift). so the question i ask is (without reaching too far), does the justice required by death of 20,000 people get visited on the descendants of the corporate directors? in a christian, hindu, and buddhist sense that would be just.

Fine, Gather evidence and try him in the USA.

[Anonymous Coward]

Fair enough, then try him in the United States at least. Get evidence etc. from the India.

Does the USA even have a process for dealing with citizens who commit crimes in other countries? Given that its hard to get a fair trial in some countries (hush, let's not say that it includes the US) .. At least we should try criminals .. How is it in our public interest to have murderer scum bags walking around ??

Besides, I wouldn't want that on the country's conscience .. remember we all have to answer to a higher power one day .. and THAT is in our interest too.

So we have multiple reasons not to harbor this criminal.

Re:Fine, Gather evidence and try him in the USA.

[yog]

Based on my memories of the event....

This is a question of where does the buck stop--with the probable perpetrators or incompetents who caused the accident, or with the regional VP, or with Indian government officials who exacerbated the problems, or with the president and chairman of the U.S. company that owned the plant. It's really not all that clear.

The Union Carbide Bhopal plant was operated and managed by Indians; it was an all-Indian staff. When the incident occurred that released toxic fumes, there were thousands of people living right outside the fences of the facility in shanty towns. It was not the smartest idea to live next to a chemical plant in the first place, but the Indians were lackadaisical about such things. After the incident, it was reported that the plant staff were dispersed to other parts of India and were mysteriously unavailable for questioning by the Americans. What's more, the whole incident was immediately blamed on the Americans by a hostile Indian government intent on scapegoating the U.S. and collecting billions of dollars in damages.

Recall that at this time India was the leader of the "unaligned movement", a group of nations which played the U.S. off against the U.S.S.R. Indira Gandhi was quite anti-American and India was very restrictive about foreign investments. Consequently poverty endured there until very recently, when the information revolution finally cracked their shell open.

Yes, Bhopal was a terrible tragedy, but the Indian government deserves some of the blame for their craven role as an exploiter of the disaster for political purposes.

Re:Dow-chem chairman Warren Anderson

[metlin]

A plant not taking safety precautions and having cost-cutting measures that killed thousands is not the same as a company making weapons.

Corporate greed is not a 100% American trait.

Where oh where in my post did I even mention America? I merely said that it should be the same for ALL companies, no matter what or where you're from.

We're not here to discuss corporations of other countries and their behaviors - I was talking about Dow Chemical and how the US is being quite unethical in not extraditing someone whose "cost-cutting measures" killed thousands.

Re:Dow-chem chairman Warren Anderson

[Epeeist]

Given the current situation in the USA, where corporations have the same rights as people then they should bear the same responsibilities.

As CEO of the company Warren Anderson is the person in which these responsiblities rest.

To extend the analogy - who effectively is responsible for Abu Ghraib?

I don't remember a strike

[ewn]

and wikipedia doesn't mention one either. And the amount of water involved was rather large, several hundred liters, so it did not just sneak in. It is unknown how and why the water got into the tank, but none of the possible reasons usually discussed (a misguided attempt to clean the tank, a wrongly connected nitrogen pipe, sabotage) makes Union Carbide look good.

And even if there was a strike: wouldn't you expect management to make sure that your plant doesn't blow up in case of a simple labor dispute?

I worked at the US unit

[Xian97]

The design of the unit at Institute, WV was supposed to be identical to the Indian unit. We were always told that Bhopal tragedy was caused by deliberate sabatoge. MIC is water reactive. The system was designed so that water could not be introduced into it. The water and steam hoses had fittings that could not be attached to the connectors on the MIC storage to prevent water from being introduced to the system. Someone at the Indian unit had cut the end off of a water hose and attached a connector that would fit the MIC system and introduced water into the system. A chemical reaction occured causing the vapor cloud to be released into the atmosphere.

MIC is used in the making of insecticides. It is one of the main ingredients of Seven, along with Phosgene and Chlorine, two other poisonous gases. Phosgene is the name of the mustard gas used in World War I. Basically insecticides are nerve agents designed to work on insects. Many of the ingredients are lethal to humans as well.

Re:Dow-chem chairman Warren Anderson

[bladernr]

for instance USA has the largest collections of the ones called nuclear bombs.

Untrue. Russia has, by far, the most Nuclear warheads. You can add up all the world's nuclear powers (US, Britian, France, China), and you still don't equal the number of warheads in Russia. US has 10,000, and Russia has 18,000, if memory serves.

I think this is a good example of the demonizing of America that is so popular these days. I'm an American in Europe, and here it is amazing how igorant the European media and population are about America. Sure, America has done plenty to be upset about (I'm not too happy with an awful lot right now), but the amount of disinformation is breathtaking.

I think it is completely in-context to point out that this may not even be a subject if Dow were not American. A Q Khan arms up the world's rogue nations with Nuclear weapons, and gets a full pardon by his government. Russia supplied (illegally) GPS jammers to Iraq. Then let's talk about Chairman Mao: we don't even blink when the Chinese talk about that mass murderer like a hero. Were was his justice?

Right now, hating America, whether with or without reason, is popular. I get hit with all sorts of stereotypes here. But, above all, my favorite thing is that, once my European friends learn that I am well traveled, well read, and have a pretty informed view of the world, they are completely unable to comprend those qualities from an American. So they label me as an a-typical American just to get around having to examine the problems with their own beliefs.

Re:Blame the Indian Government.

[coolsva]

And when they do that, US cries foul saying trade barriers are being put up.

Re:Dow-chem chairman Warren Anderson

[Veccio]

The $480 million dollar settlement was reached between the Indian government and Union Carbide -- without the input of the families. To date, those affect have seen approximately US$300-500. That may be a lot in India but...
Does that cover the bloody, spontaneous miscarriage pregnant women suffered that night?
How about losing the primary bradwinner in the household?

MethylIsoCyanite killed those affected most severely by virtue of pulmonary edema. For those not medically inclined it means you drown in your own body fluids. People continue to suffer blindness, obscure cancers and all sorts of obscure disorders that are difficult to treat because of their rarity.

They have found that it also continue to have devastating effect on reproductive organs ensuring that the effects will be felt in their children and children's children. I hope I never get to see an earless, lipless or deformed child in person like the ones born there.

Isolate yourself from this tragedy if you want but just remember that corporations are isolated from responsibility and will continue to behave this way if someone does not step up to force people to think about the unique privilege enjoyed by corporations.

There were 6 safety systems incorporated in the design of the factory that were systematically disabled or misused that could have truly limted the impact. Why? Because this factory was not profitable in selling the pesticides, and they were going to shut it down anyway. Never mind that MIC (the toxin) should never have been stored in the megacontainers they stored them in (plant safety would dictate 55-gallon drums, not enough to store 40 TONS of this gas).

Alas, this is the way of the world. We understand that Union Carbide was not necessarily out to do what happened. Technically, it's not their fault right? I think it's the perfect example of what allows to go unchecked, and how legal liability and fiduciary responsibility take precedent over justice.

-- Just another bleeding heart.

Re:"Yes Men" Possibly Responsible for Hoax

[aberkvam]

As soon as I heard that it was a hoax, I thought of The Yes Men. I recently got a chance to see the documentary about them. After taking on George W Bush and the WTO (including one of them being interviewed on CNBC Europe as a WTO spokesperson), this seemed like a logical target and a logical method of attack. So I checked out their site. There wasn't anything in the news section, but it turns out they've had a previous run-in with Dow Chemical. Yeah, I think it's pretty likely that The Yes Men are the ones behind the hoax.

Re:Dow-chem chairman Warren Anderson

[Anonymous Coward]

That plant wasn't operating with those safety systems turned off. There was a labor dispute which had the plant shut down. UC claims to this day that a disgruntled member of that labor strike sabatoged something in the plant.

cancer in india

[lpsv092]

Law?!! What's that? In India there are no rights for anyone who doesn't have deep pockets or strong connections into the government or legal system. Everything in India is a privilege (personal safety, healthcare, electricity, clean water, clean air).

Any 'settlement' made with the govt. is simply distributed amongst the honorable (yeah right) public officials. Hence nothing ever makes it to the actual victims. Corruption is the cancer of India.

Apart from highly talented engineers and doctors (most of whom are outside India), India's legal and political system is a total farse. At the end of the day, no public official cares about the citizens. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you're dependent on a public agency or official - GOD help you. Bottom line, you're better off dead than alive.

Re:Dow-chem chairman Warren Anderson

[Zak3056]

9/11 was the single largest failure of US security agencies in history

Not to pick nits or anything, but the single largest failure of US security agencies would probably be Pearl Harbor. We were actually reading the Japanese communications at the time.