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Bonechilling Bhopal Gas Tragedy!

                          Matter:-
The bhopal gas tragedy was a gas leak incident considered as one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of december 2-3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited(UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals leaked from the plant. The toxic substance made it's way in and around the towns located near the plant and hundreds of thousands of people were exposed. 

Number of casualties:-

The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the Government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. Others estimate 3,000 died within weeks and another 8,000 have since died from gas-related diseases. A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. 

 Leakage explanation:-

The Bhopal UCIL facility housed three underground 68,000 ltrs liquid MIC storage tanks. In late October 1984,tank E610 lost the ability to effectively contain most of its nitrogen gas pressure. It meant that the liquid MIC contained within could not be pumped out. 
At the time of this failure, tank E610 contained 42tonnes of liquid MIC. Shortly after this failure MIC production was halted at the Bhopal facility, & parts of the plant were shut down for the maintenance. 
Core Reason:-

In early December 1984,most of the plant's MIC related safety systems were malfunctioning and many valves and lines were in poor condition. 
During the late evening hours of 2nd December 1984, water was believed to have entered a side pipe, the introduction of water into the tank subsequently resulted in a runaway exothermic reaction, which was accelerated by contaminants, high ambient temperatures and various other factors. 


Acute Health affects:-

The initial effects of exposure were coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation and a feeling if suffocation. Since the leak was more at lower height, the children and other people of shorter stature or in sleeping position inhaled higher concentrations. 

Health complications addressed:-
It is estimated 1 lakh to 2 lakh people have permanent injuries. Reported symptoms are eye problems, respiratory difficulties, immune and neurological disorders, cardiac failure secondary to lung injury, female reproductive difficulties and birth defects among children born to affected women. 

Who was to be blamed? 

The Union Carbide India Limited(UCIL)'s owner Warren Anderson was to be blamed for the entire horror dissemination. The reason that he extremely disavowed his role in the plants maintenance and neglected any welfare. 
Situation today at the location? 

It won't be irrelevant to say that the yet today the groundwater there is toxic for the consumption and using for the chores and claiming the lives there upto the date, be chronic but still it is worsening the human body or the animals there. 


Legal actions:-
•In the immediate aftermath, the plant was closed to outsiders (including UCC) by the Indian government. The UCC chairman and CEO Warren Anderson, together with a technical team, immediately traveled to India. 
•Upon arrival Anderson was placed under house arrest and urged by the Indian government to leave the country within 24hours.
•Legal proceedings involving UCC, the United States and Indian governments, local Bhopal authorities, and the disaster victims started immediately after the catastrophe. 
•The Indian government passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Act in March 1985,allowing the government of India to act as the legal representative for victims of the disaster leading to the beginning of legal proceedings. 
•In May, litigation eas transferred from the United States to Indian courts by a U.S. district court ruling. Eventually, in an out-of-court settlement reached in February 1989.Union carbide agreed to pay US$470 million for damages caused in the Bhopal disaster. 
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