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Article: The Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal: a review of health effects.(Bhopal, India, Union Carbide Plant Disaster, 1984)
- Article from:
- Archives of Environmental Health
- Article date:
- September 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE WORLD'S WORST INDUSTRIAL DISASTER occurred in India on the night of December 2-3, 1984, at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal (population: 900,000), the capital city of Madhya Pradesh--one of the largest states in India. Introduction of water into a methyl isocyanate (MIC [C[H.sub.3]-N=C=O]) storage tank resulted in an uncontrollable reaction, with liberation of heat and MIC gas. Safety systems--such as a flare tower (for the burning of excess gas), a caustic soda scrubber (for neutralization), and a refrigeration unit--did not contain the reaction. (1) MIC is an intermediate product in the manufacture of carbaryl (Sevin[R]), a carbamate pesticide. As is shown in Table ...