Bhopal Gas Leak Tragedy - A Night of death

This PPT is based on a case study Of the Bhopal gas leak. In this PPT include every point and every reference related to that gas leak.

1. BHAGWAN MAHAVIR UNIVERSITY
TOPIC –BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY
GUIDE BY –AMIN KAMANI
BHAGWAN ARIHANT INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

2. PRESENT BY
2107020603014 -UpasanaMoriya
2107020603019 -NorvelPatel
2107020603021 -SavanPatel
2107020603027 -NiharPatiyawala
2107020603034 -ChintanShah

3. CONTENTS
1.INTRODUCTION
2.HISTORY
3.HOW IT STARTS?
4.WARRNING BELL BEFORE TRAGEDY
5.HOW METHYL ISOCYANATE LEAKED HAPPENED
6.MISTAKE THAT MADE BY UCIL
7.WHAT HAPPENDS AT THAT NIGHT?
8.EFFECT OF THE GAS LEAK
9.AFTER DISASTER
10.GOVT'S RESPONSE TO BHOPAL TRAGEDY
11.THE BHOPAL DISASTER TIMELINE
12.OUR POINT OF VIEW
13.CONCLUSION

4. •TheBhopalGasDisasteralsoreferredtoasBhopalGasTragedy
wasanaccidentaldisasterthattookplaceonthenightof2-3
December1984inthecapitalcityofMadhyaPradesh.
•TheincidenttookplaceinapesticideplantUnionCarbideIndia
Ltd.(UCIL)whenaround45tonsofMethylIsocyanate(MIC)
gasleakedfromtheplant.
•Thehighlytoxicgaswasexposedto,andnearbycitiesoftheplant
andaffectednearly5,00,000people.
•AccordingtotheMadhyaPradeshgovernment’sestimates,the
tragedykilled3,787peopleinandaroundBhopal.However,media
reportspegtheactualdeathtollanywherebetween16,000and
30,000.
•Italsocalled“NightOfDead”.
INTRODUCTION

5. •Thiscompanyisolderthan100years.Thiscompanyismakingeverreadybatteries,Bakeliteetc.In1994,this
companywasrenamedbyEvereadyindustry.
•In1969,thecompanystartedafactoryinBhopaltoproduceaspecialinsecticide.Itiscalledsevin.To
manufacturesevin,achemicalwasneededMethylisocyanate(MIC).MICwasimportedintoIndiatomanufacture
sevin.
•In1980,UCILfaceslotoflossesandbecauseofshortageoffunds,thecompanydecidetostartmanufacturing
MICinIndiaratherthanimportit.
•ItisnotsafetomanufacturechemicalsandmixingthemtogetherbutUCILwasgrantedpermissionbythe
government.
•In1981,aworkerdiedfromaccidentalexposuretoMIC.Butcompanydidn’ttakeanyactions.
•AfterthatsevinpricearestartedfallinginIndiaandUCILhadtocutdownthecostoftheirproducts.Afterthis
workforcewasalsoreducedandthenewworkersthatwerehiredbythecompanytheyareunder-qualified.
•Alsotheyareignoringsafetyprecautionstosavemoney.
COMPANY HISTORY

6. •Afterknowingalldangerouschemicalwasbeingmanufacturedatthefactoryneitherweretheresidents
ofBhopalinformedaboutitnortheworkersofthatcompany.
•Aftersometimepeoplearenoticingaboutitandthetradeunionsintheareaarestartedprotestingbut
leaderswereremovedfromtheirjobsandtheirdemandsweren’taddressed.
HOW IT START?

7. •In1976,tradeunionsinBhopalcomplainedofpollutionwithintheplant.A
fewyearslater,aworkeraccidentallyinhaledalargeamountoftoxic
phosgenegas,leadingtohisdeathacoupleofhourslater.
•Observingtheevents,ajournalistbeganinvestigatingtheplantandalso
publishedhisfindingsinBhopal'slocalpaper,saying-'Wakeuppeopleof
Bhopal,youareontheedgeofavolcano’.
•TwoyearsbeforetragedystruckBhopal,around45workerswhowere
exposedtophosgenewereadmittedtoahospital.
•Between1983and1984,theewereleaksofphosgene,carbon
tetrachloride,methylisocyanateandmonomethylamine.
WARNING BELL BEFORE
THE TRAGEDY

8. •UnionCarbideIndia'sBhopalfacilityhousedthree68,000-litreliquidMICstoragetanks:E610,E611,and
E619.Monthsbeforethetragedy,MICproductionwasinprogressandwasbeingfilledinthetanks.No
tankwasallowedtobefilledmorethan60%ofitscapacityandthetankwaspressurizedwithinert
nitrogengas.
HOW METHYL ISOCYANATE
LEAKED HAPPENED
•ThepressurizationallowedliquidMICtobe
pumpedoutofeachtank.However,oneof
thetanks(E610)losttheabilitytocontain
nitrogengaspressure,henceliquidMIC
couldnotbepumpedoutofit.Asperthe
rules,eachofthetankscouldnotbefilled
withmorethan30tonesofliquidMIC.But
thistankhad42tones.

9. •ThisfailureforcedUCILtohaltmethylisocyanateproductioninBhopalandtheplantwaspartlyshutfor
maintenance.AnattemptwasmadetomakethedefectivetankfunctionalagainonDecember1,however
theattemptfailed.
HOW METHYL ISOCYANATE
LEAKED HAPPENED
•Bythen,mostoftheplant'smethylisocyanate
relatedsafetysystemsweremalfunctioning.
Accordingtoreports,byDecember2evening,water
hadenteredthemalfunctioningtank,whichresulted
inrunawaychemicalreaction.Thepressureinthe
tankincreasedfivetimesbynight.

10. 1.TanksmustnotfilledbyupwithMICmorethan60%.
2.E619havemustemptyforemergenciesbutthatnight,the
thirdtankwasalsofilled.ItalsocontainMIC.
3.Pressureof2outof3tankswasn’tright.
4.TheindicatorthatshowingMICwasn’tworking.
5.Theyhavesafetyalarmthatwouldgooffwhenthe
temperaturegottoohighbuttheydisconnectthealarmyears
ago.
6.Ineverytankhadapressurecontrolvalvebutthepressure
controlvalveontank610isnotworkingbutnoonehadrepair
it.
7.Alsosomesafetysystemsbeingswitchedofftosavemoney,
includingtheMICtankrefrigerationtheMICwaskeptat20
degreesCelsius,notthe4.5degreesadvisedbythemanual.
MISTAKE THAT MAKE BY
UCIL

11. 7.Incaseofanymishapinthefactory,therewere2hugealarmsinstalledbutoneofthealarmwasfor
theworkersatthefactoryandsecondandthelouderalarmwasfortheresidentsofBhopalresiding
aroundthefactorybutthe2
nd
alarmwasturnedoff.
MISTAKE THAT MAKE BY
UCIL
8.StoringMICinlargetanksandfillingbeyond
recommendedlevels.
9.Theflaretowerandseveralventgasscrubbershadbeen
outofserviceforfivemonthsbeforethedisaster.
10.Failureofseveralsafetysystems.
11.Therewasonlyonemanualback-upsystem,compared
toafour-stagesystemusedbyunioncarbideplantof
USA.
12.Lackofskilledoperators-Nopropertrainingwasgiven
tothem.

12. •At2
nd
December1984,at9o’clockinthenight,theworkers
hadashiftchangeandnewworkerscameintoUC.
•Theystartedwiththeirroutineworkandstartingwashing
thepipesattachedtotheMICtanks.
•Theyputwaterinthepipes,buttheynoticedsomething
strangewhilepouringwaters,thewaterswasn’tcoming
outfromtheothersideofthepipes.
•Theystartedcleaningfilters,assumingthatthewaterwas
gettingclogged.Butwaterdidn’tcameoutfromtheother
side.
•Theyweren’tsurprisedtoseethis,andtheyinformedtheir
supervisoraround11P.M.Buttheyignoredit.
WHAT HAPPENDS AT THAT
NIGHT?

13. •AftersometimewaterstartedtogetintothetankE610anditcontainlargeamountofMIC.
•MIC+WATER=DISASTER
•Bymidnight,theworkersintheMICareastartedfeelingtheeffectsofMICgas.
•Theyrealizedthattheireyeswereburning.
•Thedecisiontoaddresstheleakwastobemadeacoupleofminuteslater.However,bythen
thechemicalreactioninthetankhadreachedacriticalstate.
•About30tonesofMICescapedfromthetankintotheatmospherewithinanhour.
•Post1AM,thecityofBhopalwasinthegripsofterror.Thegasspreadtomostpartsofthe
city.
•Peoplewerecoughing,therewassomuchuproar.
WHAT HAPPENDS AT THAT
NIGHT?

14. •Many people came out of their houses, opened doors
and windows, causing more of the gas to enter their
homes.
•Some people were killed in their sleep.
•Other by coughing and struggling and trying to run
away from it.
•The sick were taken to the hospitals but doctors
weren’t aware by the gas leaking.
•By the next morning, thousand of people have died.
•Dead bodies of animals were all over the roads.
WHAT HAPPENDS AT THAT
NIGHT?

16. There are two types effects on the gas leak –
1)Immediate Effects
2)Long-term Effects
EFFECT OF THE GAS LEAK

17. •Themethylisocyanategasreactedandleakedfirstthroughtheplant,andthenexpandedintothe
surroundingarea.
•Thischemicalmixturemanifestedasawhitecloudthathuggedtheground,asthechemicalcloudwas
muchdenserthanair.Becauseofthis,children,oranyoneofshortstaturewasmoregreatlyimpactedby
thechemicals.
•Thefirstsymptomshitmuchinthesamewayteargaswould,withcoughing,burningofthethroatasit
wasinhaled,aswellaswateryburningeyesandrunningnoses.
•Thesesymptomsarewhatalertedmostcitizenstothedanger,andindeedwokemanyfromtheirbeds.
Unfortunately,thesesymptomsquicklyescalatedforthoseintheimpactzone.
•Eyeirritationbecameblindness,burningthroatswereinfactdamagedrespiratorytracts.Stomachpains
andvomitingwerealsocommon,andsomepeopleevenchokedtodeathonfoamandvomitfromwithin.
•Thechemicalsgreatlydamagedjustaboutallinternalorgans,fromreflexogeniccirculatorycollapseand
pulmonaryoedema.Lungsweredestroyed,asweremajorpartsofkidneysandliver.
IMMEDIATE EFFECTS

18. •The gas affected roughly half a million people and killed roughly 15,000. Those that did survive, were more
often than not plagued with ailments from cancer to reproductive issues.
•Menstrual abnormalities were common, stillbirth rates increased as much as 300% and those babies
which did survive often had extreme birth and growth defects.
•Survivors were often plagued with long lasting ailments ranging in severity. Due to the nature of the gas,
lungs and eyes were greatly impacted.
•Many citizens of Bhopal had chronic eye issues, scarred corneas, or cataracts. Respiratory and
pulmonary issues were also common, including chronic bronchitis or tuberculosis. The gas also caused
neurological effects such as memory impairment, numbness and a reduction in motor skills.
•Decades later, those affected by the chemical leak continue to die from complications or various
chemical-induced cancers. Because of this, the exact number of casualties is impossible to count, and
continues to rise even today.
•In 2019, it was estimated some 25,000 individuals lost their lives due to this avoidable disaster.
LONG –TERM EFFECTS

19. THE AFFECTED AREA

20. •Whenthenewsofthisdisasterspreadsnext
day,UNIONCARBIDEsendtheirtechnicalteam
toIndia.Andthenteamconvertstheremaining
MICintoalessdangerousgas.
•Thisoperationwasnamedby“OPERATION
FAITH”.
•AfterthatUCsendmoneyasarelief.
•Theygavemillionstothegovernment,thered
crossandotherrelieforganizations.
•WarrenAnderson,thechairpersonofUCatthat
time,whotakesallresponsibilityintohisown
hands.
AFTER DISASTER

21. •Untilthen,theIndiangovernmenthadneverdealtwithadisasterlikethis.Legalproceedingsbetween
India,UCCandtheUSbeganrightafterthecatastrophe.
•ThegovernmentpassedtheBhopalGasLeakActinMarch1985,whichallowedittoactasthelegal
representativeforvictims.WhiletheUCCinitiallyoffereda$5millionrelieffundtoIndia,thegovernment
turneddowntheofferanddemanded$3.3billion.
•Eventually,anout-of-courtsettlementwasreachedinFebruary1989,UnionCarbideagreedtopay$470
millionfordamagescaused.TheSupremeCourtofIndiaalsolaiddownguidelinesforthemoney—the
familyofthedeadweretobegivenRs100,000-300,000.
•Inaddition,fullyorpartiallydisabledweretogetRs50,000-500,000andthosewithatemporaryinjury,
Rs25,000-100,000.TheapexcourtaskedUCILto"voluntarily"fundahospitalinBhopaltotreatvictimsof
thetragedy.
•InJune2010,sevenformeremployeesofUCIL,whowereallIndiannationals,wereconvictedofcausing
deathbynegligenceandsentencedtotwoyearsofimprisonment.However,theywerelaterreleasedon
bail.
GOVT'S RESPONSE TO
BHOPAL TRAGEDY

22. THE BHOPAL DISASTER TIMELINE
YEAR INCIDENT
1981 December: A gas leak kills a worker at the Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant.
1982 February:Theplantunionwritesalettertomanagementprotestingatdangerposedbypoor
maintenanceoftheplantequipment.
March:ABhopallawyerservesalegalnoticeonthecompanystatingthattheplantposesa
serioushealthandsafetyrisktoworkersandcommunity.Thecompanydeniesthecharge.
Alocaljournalistpublishedaseriesofinvestigativereportsexposingserioussafetylapsesinthe
plant,warnsofimpendingdisasterbetween1982andJune1984.Thecompanykeepsdenying.
1984 December3:Shortlyaftermidnight,methylisocyanategasleaksfromatankattheUnionCarbide
plantinBhopal.Thousandsofpeoplearekilledbythetoxicgasandtensofthousandsexperience
permanentdisability.
December4:UnionCarbidechairmanWarrenAndersonrushesfromcompanyheadquarterin
ConnecticuttoBhopalwithatechnicalteam.
Andersonisdetaineduponarrivalandchargedwithculpablehomicide,ormanslaughter,causing
deathbynegligenceandreleasedonbail.HeisaskedbytheIndiangovernmenttoleavethecountry
within24hourstosavehimfromtheangrypublic.

23. THE BHOPAL DISASTER TIMELINE
YEAR INCIDENT
1985 February: Union Carbide establishes a relief fund for victims of the tragedy that collects$120,000.
March: A Union Carbide technical team concludes that a large volume of water was introduced into the MIC tank and
triggered a reaction that resulted in the gas release.
April: The government of India files suit against Union Carbide for$3bnin a New York court.
April: Company offers$7mrelief. The government of India rejects the offer.
1986 March: Union Carbide proposes$350mas settlement for victims and families.
1988 May: Independent investigation by the consulting firm Arthur D Little, hired by Union Carbide, concludes that the gas leak
could only have been caused bysabotage.
November: India’s supreme court asks the government and the company to arrive at a settlement.
1989 February: A Bhopal court issues arrest warrants against Warren Anderson for failing to appear before the court in spite of
several summons. A few days later the company and the government agree to a$470mfinal settlement.
1990 Activists challenge the settlement and file a petition in the Indian supreme court.
1991 October: The supreme court rejects petitions and confirms the settlement butrevokes the criminal immunitygranted to
Union Carbide and its officials
November: A Bhopal court revives the criminal proceedings against Anderson and others.

24. THE BHOPAL DISASTER TIMELINE
YEAR INCIDENT
1992 A Bhopal court declares Anderson a fugitive as he fails to appear before court, the judge asks the government to seek
extradition of Anderson from the US.
Union Carbide wants to sell its entire stake (50.9%) in the Indian subsidiary and put the money in a charitable trust. Activists
challenge the decision.
1993 The US supreme court declines to hear appeals by activists implying that victims cannot sue the company in the US.
1994 The Indian supreme court allows Union Carbide to sell its stake in its Indian subsidiary. $90m from the sale goes to a trust to
build a hospital in Bhopal. The hospital opens in 2001.
1999 Dow Chemical Companyacquires Union Carbide to become the world’s largest chemical company; merger completed in 2001.
2003 Government of India makes a formal request to the US to extradite Anderson.
2004 The US government turns down India’s request to extradite Anderson.
2007 New class action suits filed in New York federal court seeking damages from water contamination in the neighbourhoodof
the Bhopal plant, still under review.

25. •A pipe leaked they didn’t change it.
•MIC workers needed more training. They could do with less.
•The flare tower and the vent gas scrubber had been out of service for five months before the disaster.
•The steam boiler, intended to clean the pipes, was out of action for unknown reasons.
•Supervisor could have been placed on night shifts and the readings and feedback of the Equipment could have been
taken for every one hour.
•There should have been 4 stage back up system (union carbide plant of USA) instead of a one manual back up
system.
•At regular intervals proper maintenance and servicing of Flare towers, pressure valves, gas scrubbers must have be
made.
•Strict regulations and methods must have been used according to the manual.
•Proper pressure gauges should have been used.
OUR POINT OF VIEW

26. •Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, was the scene of one of the worst industrial accidents in
history when methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the plant and spread over a populated area, killing at
least 2,000 people at the time of the accident and causing an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 subsequent
deaths. Many thousands more sustained lifelong injuries.
CONCLUSION