2. Preview-
Amongst the worst Industrial Disasters of
its time.
• Occurrence: 3rd December 1984.
• Place of occurrence: Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, India.
• Company: Union Carbide Corporation.
• Chemical: Methyl Isocyanate (40 tons)
• People Affected- >500,000
• People Died- ~40,000
3. About 550,000 people were exposed to the gas. A government affidavit in
2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 INJURIES including 38,478
TEMPORARY PARTIAL INJURIES and approximately 3,900 SEVERELY AND
PERMANENTLY DISABLING INJURIES
5. About Union Carbide Corporation(UCC)
• Started in 1969 in bhopal
• Phosgene, Monomethlyamine, Methyl Isocyanate
(MIC) and the pesticide carbaryl, also known as Sevin.
• Taken over by DOW Chemicals in 2001.
• DOW refused Union Carbide’s Liabilities in Bhopal,
India.
9. • A Nitrogen line was connected to the tank to transfer the product by
inert pressurization of the headspace.
• The tank was fitted with a pressure relief valve and rupture disc. The
vent line from the valve exhausted into a scrubbing tower filled with
caustic soda (NaOH). This would neutralize the MIC to form Sodium
isocyanate. Any residual gas from the scrubber was sent to a 30 m tall
flare stack where it would be burned off.
• There was an external coiled jacket on the vessel through which coolant
(freon / chloroform) was re-circulated. This was to keep the vessel
contents at 0 C and thus prevent any adverse exothermic reactions
occurring.
• Tanks were not to be filled above the 50 % mark so that in the event of
dangerous chemical reactions occurring, solvents could be pumped in to
quench the reactions.
TANK SAFETY FEATURES
10. Pipe Cleaning Procedure
As part of routine procedures, the pipes leading from the MIC
distillation column to the storage tanks were regularly flushed with
pressurized water. MIC and any associated products can be quite
corrosive and could form corrosion deposits in the pipe. These deposits
would contaminate the MIC in the tanks and could initiate unwanted
reactions. During cleaning, valves in the product lines were to be closed
and a blank or slip-blind placed in the product line leading to the storage
tank to prevent contamination.
However the valves, although closed, were not sealing properly because
of corrosion and the maintenance crew forgot about the blank. It
appears that about 1000 kg of water plus metal debris entered tank 610.
Assuming all the previously described safety features were operative,
this should not have been a catastrophic occurrence.
ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION
11. Effects on Human Health.
• Respiratory Disorders – Irritation to the lungs, causing coughing
and/or shortness of breathing. Higher exposure caused build up
of fluids (pulmonary enema). 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 fetus.
May also affect fertility in men and women.
• After Effect- Traces of many toxins were found in the Brest
Milk of mothers and were in turn transmitted to the recipient
babies.
13. Toxic Materials in Soil and Water
• Lead, Nickel, Copper, Chromium,
hexachlorocyclohexane and chlorobenzenes were
found in soil samples.
• Mercury was found
to be between
20,000 to 6,000,000
times the standard
level in soil.
14. S.No Chemical Amount Use in factory Nature of original pollution
1 Methylene Chloride 100 MT Solvent Air
2 Methanol 50 MT Solvent Air
3 Ortho-idichlorobenzene 500 MT Solvent Air, Water, Soil
4 Carbon tetrachloride 500 MT Solvent Air
5 Chloroform 300 MT Solvent Air
6 Tri methylamine 50 MT Catalyst Air
7 Chloro benzyl chloride 10 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
8 Mono chloro toluene 10 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
9 Toluene 20 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
10 Aldicarb 2 MT Product Air, Water, Soil
11 Carbaryl 50 MT Product Air, Water, Soil
12 Benzene Hexachloride 5 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
13 Mercury 1 MT Water, Soil
14 Mono methyl amine 25 MT Ingredient Air
15 Chlorine 20 MT Ingredient Air
16 Phosgene 5 MT Ingredient Air
17 Hydro chloric acid 50 MT Ingredient Air, Soil
18 Chloro sulphonic acid 50 MT Ingredient Air, Soil
19 Alpha Naphthol * 50 MT Ingredient Air, Soil
20 Napthalin 50 MT Ingredient Air
21 Chemical waste Tar 50 MT Waste Water, Soil
22 Methyl Isocyanate 5 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
Chemicals Dumped by Union Carbide in Bhopal
16. Toxic materials found in Soil and Water after
the accident
Benzene, oxides 7, 890
Dichlorobenzenes 87,500
Polynuclear Aromatic
Hydrocarbons
2,340
Phthalates 9,940
Trichlorobenzenes 9,410
Trimethyl Trianzintrione 24,470
1-Napthalenol 59,090
Units in parts per billion (ppb)
Additionally, Dichlorobenzene and Trichlorobenzenes were found in
the soil and water samples.
17. Compensation and Legal Aspects
• Compensation of $470 million ($500 per dead).
• Twenty years of passiveness.
• Case was reviewed and put up in American Court.
• DOW Refused Union Carbide’s Liabilities in Bhopal,
India.
• In order to provide safe drinking water to the
population around the UCIL factory, Government of
Madhya Pradesh presented a scheme for
improvement of water supply.
• Supreme court directed the UCC and M.P. govt. to
take immediate steps for disposal of toxic waste lying
around and inside the factory.
