SOCIETÀ
Bhopal: The worst industrial disaster in history continues today, after 40 years
Photo credits: The Bhopal Medical Appeal
Sunday, December 2, 1984. It’s 11 p.m. and in Bhopal, a city located in the heart of India, something is about to happen that its residents will never forget.
A worker at the Union Carbide India Limited factory notices a small water leak from the plant. The factory was built in 1969 by an American multinational, the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). While the UCC was the majority owner of this plant, it was not the only one. The Indian subsidiary, Union Carbide India Limited, was created to manage operations, with UCC owning 50.9% and the rest shared among Indian investors, including the government.
In Bhopal, home to approximately 350,000 people at the time, the factory produced Sevin, a chemical primarily used as an insecticide. 350,000 people, unaware of what was about to happen on the night of December 2–3, 1984. Today, Bhopal’s population has exceeded 2.5 million and projections estimate it will grow by 500,000 every five years. By 2030, over 3 million people will live around the factory responsible for the disaster that, in 1984, killed between 3,000 and 15,000 people in a horrific manner. These millions will continue to face the aftermath of the disaster, where health and environmental crises remain severe.
The tragedy of the night between December 2 and 3, 1984, did not strike without warning. Over the years, several alarms had been raised, and the factory's maintenance was poor. Due to declining demand for Sevin, the Union Carbide India Limited had decided to shut down the plant in November of that year. Just days later, a leak of 42 tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) exposed the population of Bhopal to deadly gas.
International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB)
The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB), comprising survivors, international volunteers and environmental groups, is fighting for justice for Bhopal’s residents.
“To date, more than 25,000 people have died as a result of exposure to the lethal gas on the night of December 2, 1984,” explains Rachna Dhingra, an activist and coordinator for the ICJB, which has long worked to assist survivors. “The goal of the ICJB is to show that this is not a matter of the past, but an ongoing disaster affecting people’s lives. The organization fights both in court and in the streets to seek accountability for the crimes committed by responsible companies and to address ongoing medical and legal challenges.
No corporation or individual has been held accountable for the largest industrial disaster in history - Dhingra continues - This demonstrates that current justice systems have failed and it will continue to fail in dealing with disasters like Bhopal. The situation remains dire, with medical and environmental crises still unfolding and people continue to suffer due to contamination.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, individuals exposed to the gas suffered a mortality rate 3.84 times higher than those not exposed. Studies suggest this is linked to survivors’ health conditions, including chronic respiratory issues, cardiovascular diseases, immunodeficiency, and other chronic illnesses, consequences of contamination.
Even 40 years later, over 200,000 people live near the abandoned Union Carbide plant, and the groundwater remains contaminated by the same chemicals that killed thousands that night.
“From both legal and human perspectives, this tragedy has set an alarming precedent: Union Carbide and its current owner, Dow Chemical, have never been held responsible. This suggests that companies can cause disasters, pollute and kill, only to escape with minimal financial penalties” Dhingra adds.
The settlement she refers to involved compensation of $500 for permanent injuries and $2,000 per death, an amount widely criticized as grossly insufficient.
The survivors: Sanjay Verma and Rashida Bee
And then there are those who, on that night, narrowly escaped death, only to witness it claim the lives of their relatives, family members, and loved ones. Yet, they survived and decided to tell their story, transforming the tragedy of Bhopal into a driving force for their fight.
“I lost seven members of my family that night: both my parents, three sisters and two brothers. I was just six months old and never knew my parents' love. Of my family of ten, only three of us survived” recounts Sanjay Verma, a survivor we reached by phone. He has no memory of that night, he lives with the lasting consequences of the disaster.
For Rashida Bee, another survivor, the tragedy marked the beginning of a lifelong fight for justice. At 28 years old, she found herself responsible for supporting her family, as many men were too ill to work. Basic necessities like food and water were scarce.
“We women lived in isolation, but when the situation became unbearable, we had to face reality and find ways to move forward. I went to a place where I knew work was available and found many women in similar situations. Some had lost husbands, others children or brothers. It was clear we had to fight against the company responsible for spreading the poison.”
This determination led Rashida Bee to establish India’s first women’s union and to organize a march to New Delhi in 1989, five years after the disaster. The goal was to demand government assistance for survivors’ medical treatment, rehabilitation and employment.
"After the Bhopal disaster, we women marched to Delhi to demand that the proper medical treatments, rehabilitation and work for the survivors be provided in Bhopal. Without phones or financial resources, we faced enormous difficulties. We crossed the jungle, even encountered bandits, but we didn’t stop, we were determined to reach Delhi. We finally arrived after a month and three days of walking. At that point, we asked to speak with the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi at the time, but he wasn’t present when we arrived. However, we managed to meet the head of the Government [of Madhya Pradesh] who told us he would provide us with everything we needed. We trusted him and decided to turn back."
However, the situation hasn’t changed since then. Rashida Bee and all the women who risked their lives to reach New Delhi to demand proper compensation for the victims, for the contaminated area to be cleaned up and for the companies involved in the disaster to be held legally accountable, have been unheard. But they didn’t stop, they kept protesting, demanding to be heard and they continue to do so today. For her courageous work and dedication to the cause, Rashida Bee has received numerous international recognitions over the years, including the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2004, known as the "Green Nobel," in support of those fighting for human rights and the environment.
But what can be done for Bhopal today, after forty years?: “The strength of Bhopal is and has been its women - says Rashida Bee - They have come together so that the people of the city could have a better future and for this, Dow Chemical must take responsibility. If the sisters of Bhopal raise their voices, and if you do too, then this cause will gain strength. We’ve already been to Italy, invited to talk about this issue, and we’ve carried on this fight there and we’re presenting it again here in front of you. If you all join in to raise your voices against Dow Chemical, then Bhopal will get justice.”
The Bhopal Medical Appeal
The Bhopal Medical Appeal, an NGO that has been providing support to survivors since 1996, has provided a clearer medical picture of the effects of methyl isocyanate exposure on the people affected by the toxic cloud. Thanks to their efforts, it was possible to open medical and rehabilitation centers, such as the Chingari Trust and the Sambhavna Trust, right in Bhopal.
"No one knows for certain how many people died, because the deaths were not effectively recorded - said Tim Edwards, executive trustee of the Bhopal Medical Appeal - There is evidence suggesting that many deaths were hidden, with testimonies of Indian army trucks arriving in the city after midnight, carrying bodies and dumping them in nearby jungles and rivers. Twenty-three years ago, I spoke with a municipal worker who was part of the team moving the bodies immediately after the gas leak. According to him, during the first three days, there were eight trucks operating, each transporting dozens of bodies per trip. Based on his testimony, we estimated that the mortality rate could have been between 15,000 and 18,000 deaths in the first few days. These are staggering and unimaginable numbers. Amnesty International, in 2004, concluded that at least 8,000-10,000 people died in the first three days. The official number reported by the government was around 2,700 deaths. Today, the official death toll from the disaster, 40 years later, stands at 5,479 people. However, it is estimated that the actual deaths are around 22,000."
But why did methyl isocyanate cause the death of so many people? According to Edwards, the reason is very clear: we're talking about a lethal gas, 28 tons of chemical product in gas form, that quickly spread in the air.
"The safety threshold for MIC, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is 0.02 parts per million, making it 200 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide, the main toxin in Zyklon B used during the Holocaust in gas chambers. In the areas where people lived near the factory, methyl isocyanate is estimated to have been about 15,000 times above the safety levels. There was no warning for the population, who were awakened in the middle of the night with coughing and burning eyes. What seems to have killed them initially was pulmonary edema, a reaction in the body attempting to expel toxins from the lungs by producing large amounts of fluid inside them. This fluid became so abundant that a person ended up drowning in their own bodily fluids."
In the days that followed, things didn't improve for those affected by the toxic cloud: "Contrary to what was initially claimed by Union Carbide, MIC crossed the lung barrier and spread into the bloodstream, causing damage to vital organs like the brain, heart, liver and kidneys. This led to systemic diseases that continue to affect survivors even today. Forty years later, survivors have a mortality rate 28% higher than the unexposed population and chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart and lung conditions, and various cancers are much more frequent than in those who were never exposed - Edwards continued- In addition, numerous statistics speak of other long-term effects, such as tuberculosis and genetic abnormalities passed on to future generations. Today, the second and third generations of the gas victims receive no healthcare or financial support. This is why the work carried out by organizations like Chingari Trust and Sambhavna Trust, funded by the Bhopal Medical Appeal, is so crucial. In a place where the consequences of the disaster that took place on the night of December 2, 1984, have still not been acknowledged and, therefore, the proper medical care is not provided, their role is vital, as they offer therapeutic and social support to families dealing with severely disabled children. While state-run hospitals mainly provide symptomatic treatment with drugs like painkillers and steroids, clinics like Sambhavna Trust and Chingari Trust provide more comprehensive treatments. Sambhavna Trust combines modern medicine with traditional Indian practices like Ayurveda and yoga to alleviate the suffering of survivors, while Chingari Trust is dedicated to the rehabilitation of children with disabilities caused by the disaster. Chingari Trust offers physical, educational and support therapies for over 200 children every day, but resources are limited compared to the overall need."
Bhopal is a global symbol of missed justice, still showing how easy it is to pollute poor or marginalized communities and then forget about them. A case study for the worst reasons, but one that reminds us of the urgent need for global change to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
