Bhopal disaster.
In 1984 there was a gas leak at the Bhopal plant which was owned and operated at the time by Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL), an Indian company in which US Union Carbide Corporation held just over half the stock.
The History of UCI Ltd
Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) was established in 1934, when Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) became one of the first U.S. companies to invest in India. UCIL shares were publicly traded on the Calcutta Stock Exchange. UCIL was a diversified manufacturing company, employing approximately 9,000 people and operating 14 plants in five divisions. The Bhopal plant was built in the late 1970's and was owned and operated by UCIL, an Indian company in which Union Carbide held just over half of the stock. Indian financial institutions and thousands of private investors in India owned the remainder of the stock. The plant produced pesticides for use in India to help the country’s agricultural sector increase its productivity and contribute more significantly to meeting the food needs of one of the world's most heavily populated regions. Source: UC
However, others have argued that the Bhopal disaster was the result of a combination of legal, technological, organisational, and human errors. The immediate cause of the chemical reaction was the seepage of water (500 litres) into the MIC storage tank. The results of this reaction were exacerbated by the failure of containment and safety measures and by a complete absence of community information and emergency procedures. The long term effects were made worse by the absence of systems to care for and compensate the victims.
Furthermore, Carbide persistently shows wanton and wilful disregard for the health and safety of its workers and the communities in which it operates. Additionally, a scientific report published by two U.S. organizations, the National Toxic Campaign and the international Council on Public Affairs, Union Carbide continues to be a major discharger of toxic substances into the environment, and a major generator of hazardous waste. In 1988, the company generated more than 300 million pounds of hazardous waste - an increase of 70 million compared with 1987. Carbide had dropped the safety standards at the Bhopal plant well below those it maintained at a nearly identical facility in West Virginia. It is also important to note here that Carbide was able to operate its deteriorating plant because industrial safety and environmental laws and regulations were lacking or were not strictly enforced by the state of Madhya Pradesh or the Indian government making them indirectly responsible for the tragedy at Bhopal. Source: http://www.american.edu/ted/bhopal.htm
The debate regarding the culpability of Union Carbine remains today, however whether the disaster was the result of human error or corporate negligence the people living in that environment continue to suffer the consequences of the disaster.
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