Union Carbide:

The Bhopal Disaster

Jonathan Carvajal & Nicholas Spike
BMBA 9201 NB, Fall 2008
Bhopal, India
 Bhopal is located in the center of
the Indian Peninsula and is the
capital of the Indian state of
Madhya Pradesh.
 It is known as the “City of Lakes”
because the city is surrounded by
natural and man-made lakes.
 Currently 1.4 million reside,
almost equally divided between
males and females and the main
languages are Hindi, Urdu and
English.
 As of December 2, 1984, 850,000
Indians lived a peaceful life in
Bhopal.
 Union Carbide Corporation

• The Union Carbide Company was formed in 1898, then

incorporates with Linde Air Products Co.; National Carbon Co.,
Inc.; and Prest-O-Lite Co., Inc. in November of 1917.
• The Union Carbide Corporation is a founder of modern-day
petrochemicals. Today they are based out of Houston, TX.
• Originally used its research and products to help steel industry
during World War I. Now its chemicals can be found in
anything from house paint to pharmaceuticals to oil and gas.
• Some of these chemicals are:
• polyethylene (food containers and toys)
• ethylene glycol (automotive antifreeze)
• ethyleneamines (strength of paper towels)
http://www2.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/rsettoon/studentwork/proj1.htm#SOCIAL
 Simply Great Chemistry
• Union Carbide Mission Statement:
“Union Carbide Corporation utilizes leading-edge
technologies to help our customers around the world
introduce superior products and reach new markets. By
thoroughly understanding their needs, and working in
partnership to improve performance while meeting
demanding safety and environment standards, we can
create great chemistry for their applications.”

http://www2.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/rsettoon/studentwork/proj1.htm#SOCIAL
Union Carbide India, LTD
 1969: UCC builds factory in Bhopal
through Union Carbide India, LTD;
which is 51% owned by Union
Carbide U.S. Corporation and 49% by
Indian investors, including the
Indian government.

 One of the main purposes of plant is

production of pesticides. The active
chemical ingredient is methyl
isocyanate (MIC).
UCC ad welcoming itself to India
Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)

 Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound primarily used

in the production of in the production of carbamate
pesticides. It is very hazardous to humans in gaseous form and
can permanently damage eyes, throat and lungs.

 Union Carbide produced their pesticide, Sevin, using MIC as a

intermediate. Other manufacturers, such as Bayer, made Sevin
without MIC, though at greater manufacturing costs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bopal_disaster#cite_note-14
 Stakeholder Matrix
Media Population of Bhopal

Stockholders Employees

UNION CARBIDE
COMPANY

UCIL Chemicals

Amnesty International NTC

Primary

Secondary
Timeline
 1973: MIC is imported to the Bhopal plant from the US.

 1979: Bhopal plant starts to produce its own MIC.

 1980 – 1984:

 Work and maintenance crew for MIC department is halved

 One worker dies from chemical exposure
 32 injured from other events
 May 1982: Union Carbide’s own inspection team indicates
that the plant at Bhopal, India was unsafe
 61 plant hazards are reported, 30 of which are major

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/toxic-hotspots/bhopal-timeline
http://www.endgame.org/carbide-history.html
December 2 – 3, 1984
 9:00 pm: Technicians begin cleaning water pipes
 10:00 pm: Water seeps into tank MIC 610 and a reaction begins,
heating the tank to over 400° F
 10:30 pm: Gases begin to leak
 12:30 am: An alarm sounds, but is turned off
 1:00 am: Police alerted to the situation
 2:00 am: The first victims reach Hamidia hospital
 2:10 am: Siren sounds again, but by this point everyone must
have known of disaster
 6:00 am: Police announcement that everything is normal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster
How it happened…

(Chart from Bhopal Medical Appeal, 2002)