UNETHIC

AL WORK
PRACTICE
S
Mallika and Preetha
Bhopal Gas
Tragedy
 What is the Bhopal Disaster?

Bhopal Gas Tragedy, also known as the Bhopal Disaster

was a gas leak on the night of 2-3rd December 1984 at
the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) Pesticide Plant in
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh ,India. It is considered to be
one of the world’s worst industrial disasters. Over
5,00,000 people who were living in the surrounding
areas were exposed to a highly toxic substance called
Methyl Isocyanate (MIC).
 What is MIC?
Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) is a chemical that is used in the
manufacture of polyurethane foam, pesticides, and plastics. It
is handled in liquid form which can be easily burned and
explosive. It evaporates quickly in the air and has a strong
odour. Its molecular formula is CH3NCO or C2H3NO and its
molecular weight is approx. 57.05 g/mol.
 UNION CARBIDE INDIA LIMITED
UCIL was the Indian Subsidiary of
UCC(Union Carbide Corporation).
It started in 1969 in the northern
state in India.

Chemicals such as Phosgene,

Monomethyl Amine, Methyl
Isocyanate (MIC) and the pesticide
Carbaryl (also known as Sevin) was
manufactured over here.
PRODUCTION OF SEVIN (CARBAR
 THE GAS LEAK
To produce the pesticide Sevin(Carbaryl) along with the intermediate Methyl
isocyanate(MIC), a production plant was setup in the year 1979.
The production continued. On the night of 2-3rd December 1984, water
seeped into the tank E610 which contained almost 40 tons on MIC.
The resulting exothermic reaction between water and MIC raised the
temperature in the tank to over 200C(392 F) thus raising the pressure. This
led the safety valve to burst. Due to this about 30 tons of Methyl isocyanate
escaped from the tank into the atmosphere and got added to a weak wind
(which frequently changed its direction). Due to this, there was slower
dilution of the poisonous gas and it could spread over larger distances in a
short span of time.
FACTORS LEADING TO THE GAS LEAK
* Storing MIC in large tanks and filling beyond recommended levels.
* The flare tower and several vent gas scrubbers were out of service
5 months before the disaster.
* Failure of several safety systems
* Also, certain safety systems were switched off to save money. The
MIC Tank Refrigerator which was supposed to be kept at 4.5C was
kept at 20C
* There was only one back-up system in India compared to the four
stage back-up system used by the Union Carbide Plant in USA.
* Lack of skilled labour. No proper training was given to them.
 EFFECTS OF THE TRAGEDY

The MIC gas was so heavy and thick that it filled people’s

lungs, essentially drowning them. Methyl isocyanate also
reacts strongly with organic tissues, and many victims
suffered severe chemical burns to eyes and skin.
The Bhopal disaster troubles people even today – many of
them in the affected areas suffer from nerve damages,
growth problems, respiratory issues, birth defects, elevated
rates of cancer and tuberculosis.
Most affected area near the pesticide plant
AFTER THE DISASTER..
AFTER THE DISASTER..
AFTER THE DISASTER..
 WHAT COULD’VE BEEN DONE TO
AVOID THE DISASTER
* There should have been a 4-stage back up system (like the Union
Carbide Plant in USA) instead of a manual back-up system.
* At regular intervals, proper maintenance and servicing of gas
scrubbers, pressure valves and flare towers should’ve been done.
* Strict rules and regulations according to the manual should have
been followed.
* The readings and feedback of each equipment in the plant should
have been taken on an hourly basis.
* Proper pressure gauges should’ve been used.
CHERNOBYL
Pripyat, Ukraine
 WHAT
HAPPENED
A safety test was to be
conducted to avoid
meltdown in case of a
blackout.
April 25, 1986, 2 p.m.:
Reduced power from 3200MW to
1600MW.
Power grid in Kiev asks to delay
by 10 hours.
April 25, 1986, 11:10 p.m.:
Permission received to continue
with the test; the less-
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-
experienced night shift is on the
security/safety-of-plants/appendices/chernobyl-accident-
appendix-1-sequence-of-events.aspx
 WHAT
HAPPENED
April 26, 1986, 12:28 a.m.:
Power plummets to far below the
level at which the reactor is
considered stable. Operators
respond by removing most of the
control rods.

April 26, 1986, 1 a.m.: The

power stabilizes, but at 200MW
instead of 700MW, and plant
supervisors order the test to
proceed. The automatic
April 26, 1986, 1:23:04 a.m.:
The test officially begins, and an
unexpected power surge occurs.

April 26, 1986, 1:23:40 a.m.:

Akimov engages AZ5, this
skyrockets reaction rate, jams
control rods.

April 26, 1986, 1:23:58 a.m.:

The first explosion blows the
1,000-ton roof right off the
reactor. Plant blacks out, air filled
with hot graphite and radioactive
dust. Radiation spewing out.
 Last power
reading:

30,000MW
Could’ve been more.
 54 direct, short term
deaths
● Estimates range from
4000 to 35000.
● 4km squared of
surrounding pine
forest turned red and
died
● Many animals died
due to radiation, even
more stunted

NUMBERS ●Official Soviet

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456957/img/11456265
http://chornobyl.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/redforest.gif
ARE THEY
Anatoly Viktor Nikolai Fomin
Dyatlov Bryukhanov

REALLY THE
ONLY ONES TO
WHO TO BLAME?
BLAME?
ALSO CONSIDER (leading to
and aftermath): ➔ Forests in the
immediate vicinity
● MAAAAJOR design flaw
were grazed and
that the operators didn’t squads were sent
know about. out to kill local
● Bitumen used in animals for fear of
construction of roof spread of radiation
● Firefighters weren’t
➔ Robots and
informed of the type of
biorobots were
threat. used to clear
● Underestimating the radioactive debris
seriousness of the threat
We arrived there at 10 or 15 minutes to two in the morning ...
We saw graphite scattered about.
Misha asked: "Is that graphite?" I kicked it away.
But one of the fighters on the other truck picked it up. "It's
hot," he said. [...]We didn't know much about radiation.
Even those who worked there had no idea.
[...] Then those boys who died went up to the roof—Vashchik,
Kolya and others, and Volodya Pravik ...
They went up the ladder ... and I never saw them again.
Valentyna Shevchenko, then Chairwoman of the
Parliament of the Ukrainian SSR, recalls that
Ukraine's acting Minister of Internal Affairs Vasyl
Durdynets phoned her at work at 09:00 to report current
affairs;
only at the end of the conversation did he add
that there had been a fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant,
but it was extinguished and everything was fine.
When Shevchenko asked "How are the people?",
he replied that there was nothing to be concerned about:

"Some are celebrating a wedding, others are gardening,

and others are fishing in the Pripyat River".
A lack of safety
culture
 Valery
Legasov
What can be
done?
Heard of the
NUREMBERG
 Tl;dr:
Individuals have international duties which transcend
the national obligations of obedience. Therefore
individual citizens have the duty to violate domestic
laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity
from occurring.
THANK YOU