case study of air pollution disaster

1. AN INTRO TO
Hazards
of air pollution
Case studies and environmental
phenomena
Authored by Prof. Eman Ezz Eldawela
Elsharkawy
Professor of toxicology and forensic
medicine

2. Case study ONE
Bhopal gas tragedy
due to methyle-
isocyanate
1

3. Bhopal gas tragedy due to
methyle-isocyanate
THE BHOPAL DISASTER
• Around 1 a.m. on Monday, the 3rd
of December, 1984, In the city of
Bhopal, Central India, a poisonous
vapour burst from the tall stacks of
the Union Carbide pesticide plant.
• This vapour was a highly toxic
cloud of methyl isocyanate.
• 2,000 died immediately
• 300,000 were injured
• 7,000 animals were injured, of
which about one thousand were
killed.

4. • A tank containing methyl isocyanate (MIC)
leaked.
• MIC is an extremely reactive chemical and is
used in production of the insecticide carbaryl.
• The scientific reason for the accident was that
water entered the tank where about 40 cubic
meters of MIC was stored.
• When water and MIC mixed, an exothermic
chemical reaction started, producing a lot of
heat.
• As a result, the safety valve of the tank
burst because of the increase in pressure.
• It is presumed that between 20 and 30 tonnes
of MIC were released during the hour that the
leak took place.
• The gas leaked from a 30 m high chimney
and this height was not enough to reduce
the effects of the discharge.
THE POSSIBLE CAUSES

5. The gas leaked from a 30
m high chimney

6. 2,000 died immediately

7. 7,000 animals were injured, of which
about one thousand were killed

8. Abortion due to
cyanide poisoning

9. Eye lesions

10. Eye lesion (corneal opacity)
due to cyanide poisoning

11. Congenital anomalies

12. “
https://experienceinveterinary
forensicandtoxicology.wordpr
ess.com/
Author Email: medicine1971@yahoo.com
“

13. To communicate
Facebook page: Professor of
Toxicology & Forensic Medicine
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M_ID=3001
•Research ID: G-1719-2014
•My orchid ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1566-
200X
•My Scopus ID: Author ID: 54941387400