Bhopal Union Carbide Tragedy, India
Bhopal UNION Carbide Tragedy, India In the early morning of December 3rd, 1984, over 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the UNION Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, the toxic cloud enveloping the surrounding population. The gas cleared at dawn, already having killed and injured many people. Four months after the release of this toxic pollution, over 3,800 people had been reported dead to the Indian government and approximately 11,000 with disabilities. Legal action and court settlements by mainly the Supreme Court of India followed immediately after the catastrophe, for the most part being charges against the officials and employees of Union Carbide Corporation and Union Carbide India Limited. Union Carbide Corporation is a chemical and polymers company, wholly owned by The Dow Chemical Company, with over 2,400 employees. The company has some of the industry 's most advanced process and catalyst technologies, and operates cost-efficient and large-scale production facilities. They produce mainly chemicals and polymers that go through one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some services include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture and oil and gas. The company has a known history of technological innovation and is in cases considered a leader in chemical companies. Union Carbide India Limited was a chemical company established in 1934, eventually expanding to employ 9,000 people. It was 51% owned by Union Carbide Corporation and 49% by Indian investors including the Government of India. They produced batteries, carbon products, welding equipment, plastics, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and marine products. Their pesticide plant in Bhopal gained worldwide attention as a result of the disaster. At the time of the disaster UCIL was ranked twenty-first in size among companies operating in India, with revenues of 2
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