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The Bhopal Tragedy
Dec. 2–3, 2024, marked the 40th anniversary of the accidental release of methyl isocyanate from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. The colorless liquid, an intermediate chemical in the production of pesticides, evaporated upon exposure to air, and the resulting toxic gas was carried by wind across the surrounding area, leading to what many have called the world’s deadliest industrial accident. Information about the accident and its aftermath appears below.
From “40 Years After Bhopal: Lingering Health Effects and No Closure”:
“The site of the disaster continues to pose health hazards to the local population because it has not been remediated. Since the start of production in 1969, waste was dumped in 21 unlined pits within factory premises and three solar evaporation ponds outside. Over the decades, chemicals leached into groundwater.”
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SOURCES
The Lancet: “40 Years After Bhopal: Lingering Health Effects and No Closure” (December 2024).
OSHA: “Methyl Isocyanate.”
Smithsonian Magazine: “The World’s Deadliest Industrial Disaster Exposed 500,000 People to Toxic Gas and Claimed Thousands of Lives” (December 2024).