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The Bhopal Chemical Disaster

From Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Bhopal tap water On December 3, 1984 a fourth of Bhopal, one of India's largest cities were affected by a chemical accident. Which many claim wasn't so much an accident as negligence. In an effort to save $70/day, Union Carbide Company let safety standards slip resulting in deadly chemicals escaping into the air. Some 10,000 people immediately died & another million have serious eye & lung damage plus chromosomal changes. Making the poor people suffer more, Dow Chemical then bought Union Carbide & claimed that they were not responsible for the damages. And the Indian government, not wanting to discourage foreign investment, didn't aggressively pursue the matter. Some 5yrs after the horrible day, a half million dollars was finally paid. But that is far short of the $3 billion needed. While people still suffer from their injuries, new victims happen every day as many of the city's water wells are contaminated with no safe alternatives available. Tags: India