Bhopal, India Chemical Accident, 1984

Just after midnight on December 3, 1984, a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India had a chemical leak accident. The chemical that was released into the air is called methyl isocyanate, or MIC, used to make pesticides. This chemical is tremendously harmful and fatal to humans, livestock, and crops. Only a short-term exposure may cause death or unfavorable health effects. The slums of Bhopal and its residents that surrounded the plant which were mostly affected by the gas suffered dearly. An estimated 8,000 people dead and about 300,000 more suffering from its effects. Bloated carcasses of cattle dotted the streets. Tree and plant leaves were yellow and brittle. "Corpses littered the streets and discovered behind locked doors, trapped in private death tombs" (Diamond 8). These victims had no warning what so ever. As families ran from their homes and away from the plant, they had no idea that the wind was carrying the gas cloud in the direction that they were traveling. The disaster effects on survivors are so great that the effects on generations to come are going to be serious and enduring. This could all have been avoided, if negligence and inattention didn't play a role in the Bhopal disaster of 1984.

Bhopal is the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, which is located in India. Climate there varies from tropical heat to near-arctic cold. With fifty-five million people the average income is very low for most people in India. "This huge population means that much of India does not have the resources to meet the daily needs of its people. As a result, most of the country is plagued by desperate poverty" (10). The city of Bhopal is spread out randomly in the midst of gently sloping hills and valleys. South of the city are two lakes that supply Bhopal's water.

The city is outrageously crowded; taxis and horse pulled carts transport crowds of commuters. "Motorcycles and bicycles carry entire families. Cage-carts, drawn by bicycles, are crammed with schoolchildren on their way to lessons. Seven to ten people may ride in one car" (12). But most people usually walk "Ð'... with the communities of people who make the streets their home" (12).

Countless people crowd the railway station every day. The majority of the people are visitors, planning to meet with government officials, to shop, or to visit relatives. Others are working people taking the trains to other cities in efforts to make a few rupees. New people also arrive daily at the station seeking for jobs in the big city.

All over the place in Bhopal, religion is apparent. Hindus are seen praying to their gods for a safe trip. "They leave religious paintings, created with chalk, powder, and rose petals, on the floor of the station" (13). Eighty percent of Indians are loyal of Hinduism. Although the leading religion of India's people is Hinduism, the majority of Bhopal's residents are Muslims.

Bhopal's Muslims worship mosques, and one of the biggest mosques in the world is the Taj-ul-Masajid, which is located south of the city. They worship there five times a day to pray and also pray at other numerous mosques around the city.

"Muslims have always been in conflict with the Hindu majority" (13). It all began when Muslims first invaded India. And their disputes still continue today.

In India, there are three main classes of people: top, middle, and bottom class. The top class includes people of such sort, such as managers and officials who work in government and industry, wealthy businessmen, engineers, doctors, and other professions. They all live in a new section of the city, with paved roads, and items that other unfortunate people don't have like air conditioning. These new and modern glitters are created especially for them. And all of these is in the best location of Bhopal, away from all the crowds of people.

The middle class people consist of lower management and government officials, artisans, and businessmen. These seem like high paying jobs but their incomes are low and their benefits are poor. Government official jobs, which people work in offices that do not have essential commodities like telephones and typewriters.

The overwhelming population in Bhopal means very few jobs that are out there for the public. "Ð'...Even a meager, low-paying job is welcomed as a way to avoid abject poverty" (15).

The bottom class of society, workers and job seekers take any job they can find if they are fortunate. If they are lucky, they will be found in such places as small industries around the city like the glue factory, the bone mills, the tannery center, the distillery, the slaughterhouse, and the straw products factory. "Otherwise, these people work as sidewalk vendors who shine shoes, give haircuts or clean ears" (15). They can also find jobs as street cleaners or in communal sewing centers.

"In addition to these unofficial social classes, Hindus in Bhopal and throughout India adhere to a rigid caste system that further separates people into classes" (15). It is very hard to change caste to a higher standard of living and converse with a higher class. But if some individuals have the desire to change caste, they can through immense effort, talent, and luck; "Ð'...one may change caste by gaining prominence in a certain occupation" (17). The caste system offers little flexibility in village life, politics, and in marriage. Religion also plays a part in this caste; only Hindus can have caste.

"In the midst of the poverty and chaos in Bhopal, Union carbide opened its chemical plant in 1969" (17). The plant is located at the city limits about a mile northwest of the railway station. Already people were setting up shantytowns close to the plant hoping to get a job there and didn't really care about the risk factor, but local leaders weren't all that excited about the plant being in the midst of the slums. They thought it was hazardous to have the plant there. They were hoping to persuade them into relocating to a located that is less populated. But Union Carbide didn't want to relocate and was too powerful and so the local leaders were overruled.

Union Carbide is well known in India for their plants are located all around India. Bhopal's people welcomed the plant and the jobs it will bring.

In the early years, the Bhopal plant imported, packaged, and distributed pesticides and raw fertilizers. In 1980, the plant wanted its business to expand, and so they trim costs and decided to manufacture pesticides at the Bhopal plant.

Many local leaders objected the new plan, saying if an accident were to occur, devastating results were be existing and for the large population living around the plant would be poisoned. Once again the