Bhopal Gas TragedyDecember 3rd 1984

CONTENT :

• Introduction of case .• Root cause of disaster .• Possibilities of avoiding disaster .• Relevance of ethics to the disaster .• Impact of disaster on society .• Relation of ethics & values in this case .

Introduction of case :• Around 1 a.m. on Monday, the 3rd of December, 1984, In the city of

Bhopal, Central India, a poisonous vapour burst from the tall stacks of the Union Carbide pesticide plant.

• This vapour was a highly toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate. • 2,000 died immediately• 300,000 were injured • 7,000 animals were injured, of which about one thousand were killed.• On December 4 1984 ,Warren Andersen along with nine people

arrested ,freed on bail upon a promise to return. • In February 1989, UCC made a compensation of USD 470 million to

Indian government.

Root cause of disaster• A tank containing methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked.

• The scientific reason for the accident was that water entered the tank where about 40 cubic meters of MIC was stored. When water and MIC mixed, an exothermic chemical reaction started, producing a lot of heat.

• As a result, the safety valve of the tank burst because of the increase in pressure.

• Negligence of the Government over the continuous misshaping in UCC.

• The Madhya Pradesh State government had not mandated any safety standards.

• The Bhopal plant experienced six accidents between 1981 and 1984, at least three of which involved MIC or phosgene.

Possibilities of avoiding disaster

• Eliminate or reduce the production of Hazardous chemicals.

• Hazardous chemicals produced should not be stored and should be consumed in the course of the reaction.

• The inventory of Hazardous chemicals if inevitable should be of many small containers and not of one large container.

• Setup of chemical production factory away from the residential area.

• Install all the safety measures like scrubbers tank, flammable tower etc.

• Highly trained workers to handle the situation efficiently.

Relevance of ethics to the disaster• Not ethically right on the part of the management of UCC and to the

Indian government.

Impact of disaster on society• Respiratory Disorders – Irritation to the lungs, causing coughing and/or

shortness of breathing. Higher exposure caused build up of fluids (pulmonary oedema). Caused Asthma.• Cancer Hazard – Caused mutation (genetic changes). It caused cancer.• Reproductive Hazard – Association between exposure to Methyl

Isocyanate and miscarriages. It may damage the growing foetus . May also affect fertility in men and women.• Traces of many toxins were found in the Brest Milk of mothers and were

in turn transmitted to the recipient babies.

Relation of ethics & values in this case• In this case the ethics and values of both the Indian government and

the management of UCC overridden by the value of money .• Life of 12,000 people can’t be compensated with 470 million dollar.

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