The Crime Book

110

CITIZENS

WERE DYING

RIGHT, LEFT,

AND CENTRE

THE BHOPAL DISASTER, 1984

I

n the early morning hours of

2 December 1984, 40 tons

of the deadly poisonous gas

methyl isocyanate leaked from a

pesticide plant owned by the

Indian subsidiary of US firm Union

Carbide Corporation (UCC) in

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Half a million people were

exposed to the gas cloud that

floated across the packed shanty

towns around the plant. Estimates

of the number of casualties vary,

but the government of Madhya

Pradesh reported that several

thousand people died immediately

from the effects of the gas, and

thousands more were left with

permanent disabling injuries.

IN CONTEXT

LOCATION

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

state, India

THEME

Industrial accident

BEFORE

1906 An explosion and fire at

a French coal mine owned

by the Courrières mining

company kills 1,099 miners.

1932–68 Methyl mercury

dumped into Japan’s

Minamata Bay by chemical

company Chisso Corporation

contaminates shellfish, which

in turn poisons local residents.

AFTER

31 July–1 August 2014

A series of gas explosions

caused by poorly maintained

pipelines kill 32 people in

Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

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111

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130 –31

It was the worst industrial accident

in history. The name Bhopal

became synonymous with death,

corporate and government

mishandling, and negligence.

Warning signs

In 1969, chemical manufacturer

UCC built a plant on land leased to

them by the Madhya Pradesh State

Government to produce Sevin, a

pesticide used throughout Asia.

The Indian government owned

a 49.1 per cent financial stake in

the operation.

But there were problems from

the outset. The city of Bhopal was

chosen for its good transport

infrastructure, but the plant’s site

was zoned for light industrial and

commercial use, not for an industry

with potential hazards. And

although the plant was supposed to

produce pesticides using chemicals

prepared elsewhere, in order to cut

costs and gain a competitive edge

in the market, it began making the

raw materials, too, a far more

dangerous process.

In the early 1980s, widespread

crop failures and famine across the

Indian subcontinent meant farmers

were unable to invest in pesticides,

and demand fell accordingly. The

Bhopal plant reduced its output

while UCC looked for a buyer. In the

meantime, the facility continued to

operate with safety equipment and

WHITE COLLAR CRIMES

Thousands of casualties, among

them people whose eyes had been

seared by the toxic fumes, assembled

in the streets to await rudimentary

treament. The local hospitals and

mortuaries were quickly overwhelmed.

The water caused a reaction

that built up heat and pressure

in the tank, quickly

transforming the chemical

compound into a lethal

gas that escaped into the

cool night air.

Union Carbide

Corporation

procedures that fell well short of the

standards maintained in its US

plants. India’s government was

aware of the safety issues but was

concerned about the economic

effects of closing a plant that

employed thousands of local people.

Then came the terrible events

of 2–3 December 1984. A strong

wind quickly blew the poisonous

gas plume from the plant through

the city; it hugged the ground, and

as victims inhaled it, their throats

and eyes burned. Many died

horribly, vomiting or foaming at the

mouth. Chaos ensued as tens of

thousands of terrified people tried

to escape the city. Arjun Singh, the

chief minister of Madhya Pradesh,

was accused of fleeing to his

palace outside Bhopal, leaving his

constituents to fend for themselves.

The investigation begins

News of the disaster reached UCC’s

headquarters in the US, and Chief

Executive Officer Warren Anderson

flew to India with a technical team

to help the government manage the

aftermath. When Anderson arrived,

he was placed under house arrest.

Technicians began to assess the

cause of the gas leak and delivered

medical supplies and equipment to

the local community. What they

discovered was horrifying: the

streets were littered with human

and animal corpses.

Anderson was released after he

promised to travel back to India to

stand trial whenever he was ❯❯

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